Wisps of Smoke
by Jaxrond
Summary: Jade dreams of a man with cold green eyes. Amber has waking visions of a man with hair the color of midnight. Emily has always loved a specific shade of gold because it reminded her of someone special. Someone whose name she does not know. Their kind landlady, Nemu, seems to know more about these strange men than she lets on, leaving the girls to wonder what, exactly, is happening.
1. Jade

**Hello, readers. I do hope that you will enjoy my first ever Hakuouki fic. Because I am attempting to be as mysterious as possible, I will not do my usual into that explains a bit about the plot. You'll just have to read and find out what happens. I will warn you that the first few chapters are short since they are introduction chapters. They're annoying to write, but necessary to get the ball rolling. I started this story yesterday, when the idea appeared out of nowhere and slapped me upside the head, and thought 'this is gonna be good! I have to post it!'. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I do writing it.**

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_His green eyes sparked with a dangerous light as they met hers. His lips twisted into a cruel and sarcastic smirk. She knew what his next action would be. He would make a scathing remark that would tear into her very soul. He was as skilled with words as he was with a blade, and just as deadly. However, even as he stood before her, tall, proud, and lethal, she was not afraid. She spoke quickly, eager to cut off his poison words before they could leave his mouth._

_"You are wrong," she said, "You misread my intentions. I have not come to pity you."_

_His brows furrowed slightly and the smirk lessened._

_"Then why have you come?"_

_She took a deep breath, her heart fluttering within her chest._

_"I came to tell you that I love you."_

Jade sat bolt upright in bed, the blanket pooling around her legs as it fell from her torso. A sheen of sweat caused her long hair to stick to her pale face. Her arms, bared by her white tank top, were hard and rigid as her hands fisted in the sheets, supporting her weight. Her chest heaved as she gasped for breath in the wake of the realistic dream. Her heart raced within her chest as she remembered those dangerous, beautiful green eyes that had stared at her, so cold and yet so full of emotion.

Gradually, her breathing calmed and her fists unclenched. She placed one hand on her forehead, feeling the cold sweat that remained on her skin. Taking a final, shaky breath, she reached for the book that perched on her bedside table. As she opened it with trembling hands, she relived the dream in her mind.

It had been as if she had no control over her body. It had been her who had confessed to the man, yet it had not been. She knew for a fact that the person she was in the dream was not named Jade Good. In fact, she did not know what her dream self's name was. Nor did she know the name of the man. He had been in every dream she had for the past six months. Ever since her twentieth birthday, she had dreamed of the man. There was never anyone else in the dreams, just her and the man. He was always dressed in traditional Japanese garb. A pair of swords hung at his right hip, a _katana _and a _wakashi_, both of which he could use masterfully. Over everything, he wore a blue and white haori. She knew that the coat signified something important about who he was, but she could never figure out what. In the dreams, she was only able to say the things that had been scripted for her by her dream self. She too was always dressed in a traditional kimono with an obi sash, and, somehow, she knew that the scripted words she was speaking were Japanese.

At first the dreams had been intermixed with other, regular dreams and had appeared infrequently. Lately, however, they had dominated her sleeping time, as if they were attempting to send some urgent message. There were five that seemed to be on a rotation. First was the one where her dream self met the man for the first time. The second dream was more frightening, as it was about the man saving her from a group of other men, who had made their intentions toward her quite clear. Third, Jade's dream self was at the market, shopping, when the man came up to her, smirking. He started bantering playfully with her, seeming to enjoy her company, a charming smile gracing his lips. The fourth dream always began with Jade's dream self standing in the middle of a street that was bathed in moonlight. Before her, was the man. His eyes were blood red and his hair was white like freshly fallen snow. He gazed at her coldly. She was obviously not supposed to have seen his demonic appearance. She had just experienced the fifth dream, in which she confessed her love to the man after he scathingly told her that she should save her pity for someone who needed it. Jade knew that he had some sort of illness that had worsened, and that he had assumed it was the reason she had come.

Jade quickly wrote the dream in the book, a diary, that was almost full of other dream descriptions. In the top, outer corner of each page was the date, beginning on the day of her birthday, March seventeenth.

No matter how many times she experienced the dreams, her reactions to the happenings in each one were the same. The emotions of her dream self overran any familiarity, and it was as if she were experiencing it for the first time again.

Sighing, Jade, put the book back on her bedside table. Fortunately, the dreams only came once a night, which meant she could still get at least a small amount of normal rest.


	2. Emily

All was peaceful as day broke on Sunday. Warm, morning sunlight filtered into the room through the blinds at the windows. It illuminated a tidy room with beige carpeted floors. Birds sang cheerfully outside in the trees surrounding the house. The room itself contained a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and a desk. The items on top of the desk were well organized around the centerpiece, which was an open laptop that displayed a screensaver of gold ribbons that twirled and wound around the black backdrop. Atop the tall dresser was a single, white alarm clock, which was plugged into the wall at an outlet that had been placed at approximately waist height.

In the bed in the center of the room lay a figure who was no more than a large lump in the blanket. Save for her feet, which where resting on top of the headboard, she was completely immersed in her gold comforter, laying with her head pointing toward the foot of the bed. She made no sound as she lay beneath the thick covering, her chest rising and falling steadily.

Across the room, on her dresser, the digital display of the clock changed to show the time as eight a.m. A high pitched, squawking voice eminated from the clock.

"Wheeee-whee-whee-wheeeeeee!"

Her legs, which had been limply resting with her feet on the headboard, suddenly stiffened. After another moment of the continuously repeating 'wheeee-whee-whee-wheeeeee!', she began to flail about under the blanket, unable to free herself from its confines. Muffled curses indicated her dislike at having woken in such a position. After a full minute of struggling, she finally freed herself of the blanket and leapt to her feet, standing on the matress, a pillow clutched in her hand. Her eyes were wild as she searched for the source of the annoying voice. Upon locating her alarm clock, she scowled.

With a battle cry, she launched the pillow at the alarm clock with the precision of someone who is quite used to hurling pillows at unsuspecting objects or people when angered. The pillow struck the clock with a thump, knocking it off the tall dresser.

"Wheeee-whee-wh-" the sound was effectively cut off as the clock's cord was torn from the wall by the momentum of the fall.

Emily glared at the clock that now lay on the ground, her eye twitching. Muttering to herself, she climbed down from her perch on the bed and shuffled to the door, obviously in a very sour mood at having been woken up so early. She threw open her door and stuck her head out.

The house in which she was staying was large. It stood at three stories, including an attic, which had been renovated into an apartment for the landlady. Emily and two other girls were renting rooms in the house for an almost suspiciously small rate They were expected to buy their own food, but sometimes, the landlady completely ignored this rule and bought food for them herself. She did, however, let them pay their parts of the utilities bill and a small housing fee.

All three girls were roomed on the second floor. The floor itself was divided into two bathrooms and four bedrooms, all of which had doors that faced toward the center of the house. In the middle of the second floor, was a large open space that was mostly taken up by a railed off rectangular hole, which allowed those on the second floor to communicate with those on the first floor without having to go down the stairs. The stairs themselves sat at the east side of the hole and led down to the first level. Another set of stairs was connected to the west wall, leading up to the attic. The area from the railing of the hole to the wall was about three feet on each side, allowing one to walk along comfortably in order to reach the bedrooms. The hole itself was nearly six feet in width and ten in length.

Emily's blue eyes combed the upper floor of the house suspiciously, checking for signs of either Amber or the landlady, both of whom were prime suspects for setting her alarm to such an annoying sound. Directly across the open space from her room was Jade's room. Emily knew Jade was not of the personality to set up the alarm clock and therefore shifted her attention to Amber's room, which sat on the east wall, directly behind the stairs. Her eyes narrowed.

Amber was calm and usually quiet, which meant few expected her to do such childish things as set Emily's alarm clock to an annoying sound. However, those who knew her well, knew that it was exactly the kind of thing she would do. In all likelyhood, she was repaying Emily for some prank that had been pulled so long ago that it had been all but forgotten. That was Amber's style. She would wait until her victim was lulled into thinking that she had forgotten the offense, and was thereby caught in a false sense of security, which, in Emily's case, took all of two weeks. Then, she would procure her vengance. It was never anything destructive or dangerous. It was always things that were, while annoying, truely harmless. There would be no proof that she had been the cause of the incident, and there would never be any way to get back at her.

The landlady was suspect because she would sometimes do things to the girls just for the fun of it. She would find it hillarious that Emily had been woken by the voice of the annoying pig from the Geico commercial, especially since Emily had announced that she hated the little creature as soon as she laid eyes on it.

The root of the problem, though, was that there were four young women of similar age sharing a house. Due to the camaraderie between them, childish pranks were a normal occurrence. Jade had just turned twenty six months earlier. Amber was the youngest, having had her nineteenth birthday not long ago. Emily herself would be turning twenty three in October. The landlady was the eldest at twenty six. She was a pretty woman of Japanese heritage. She bore the name Nemu Miakage, and was always fun to have around. The story she had told the girls was that she had inherited the house from a family member and decided to rent it out to those in need of a place to live. Emily, Jade, and Amber had happened to be her first three customers. There were no others. The girls suspected that Nemu had decided that three was enough and was not even considering the other applications, simply due to the handful they turned out to be. Despite a large downstairs that held two more bedrooms as well as a kitchen, living room, dining room, and entertainment room, and a basement that was divided into yet another pair of bedrooms, the girls had remained quite alone for over a year.

Emily shook her head. No, Nemu was not the one who had pulled the alarm clock trick. She never got up before eight thirty on Sunday. Seeing as the clock had not been set the night before, it had to have been set while Emily was sleeping. It was a well known fact that Amber was an avid reader who stayed up late into the night reading classic literature. It would have been the perfect time for her to do the deed.

Scowling at Amber's closed door, and knowing that, at the present moment, she had no means of retaliation, she tromped downstairs to make herself some breakfast.


	3. Amber

Amber sat on the edge of her bed, looking out the open window. She stared at the maple tree outside without really seeing it. Instead, she saw a sakura tree, its pink blossoms swaying in the wind. It was indeed a beautiful sight. Her grey eyes were wide and unblinking as she watched one of the petals float through the large gap between the sill and the pane, spinning gracefully on some unfelt breeze. It blew past her face, brushing her cheek and leaving a trail of warmth behind. Instead of the gentle tickle she had expected, she felt what seemed to be the caress of a calloused fingertip over the smooth skin of her cheek.

_"Their beauty does not compare," _a deep, masculine voice whispered in her ear.

Amber's eyes went impossibly wider. She quickly turned her head to catch a glimpse of the speaker. However, there was no one there. She saw only white carpet and pale brown walls She stared at the empty space for a moment before whipping back around.

The sakura tree had vanished. In it's stead sat the maple, it's leaves just beggining to turn to their fall colors.

Amber blinked quickly, attempting to make sense of what she had just experianced. Her gaze drifted to the floor.

This was not the first time something of this sort had happened. For two months, she had been having these...apparitions. Sometimes they would appear when she was out in town. Once she was walking down the street and, suddenly, she saw the broad, strong back of a man wearing a blue and white haori as he stood on the sidewalk before her. She blinked in surprise. When she opened her eyes again, he was gone. Another time, more recently, she had been getting dressed. When she looked in the mirror to check that he clothes matched each other, it had not been her reflection that stared back at her. Instead, she had seen the image of a tall, handsome man in her mirror. Her breath caught as she stared at him. His hair was so dark that it appeared to be purple, hanging over his right shoulder in a tail . His eyes were sapphire blue, dark and serious. His skin was pale, but not unhealthily so. He wore black traditional japanese clothes. A white scarf was wound loosely around his neck. At his right hip hung a pair of swords. Amber's eyes were wide with shock as she raised one trembling hand. The man in the mirror did the same, though his movements were much more graceful and his hand did not tremble. While her eyes darted nervously from his face to his hand, his remained focused on her face, as if he were memorizing every detail. Amber's fingertips touched the mirror, and she felt the alarming senstion of skin instead of glass. Slowly, she pressed her hand flat against what should have been a glass surface, but was instead the calloused hand of the man in the mirror. His hand was slightly bigger, his fingers longer. Amber stared into his eyes, frozen in shock. His pale lips qurirked upward ever so slightly. Then, he vanished, and her own reflection was there, her hand pressed against cold glass.

Amber shook her head to clear it, more than aware of the blush that colored her cheeks at the memory of his hand pressed against hers. There was no cause for such embaressment. Surely it had been her overactive imagination feeding from the books she was reading. Though, she did question how even an overactive mind could conjure up such a handsome man...and the feeling of that calloused hand, no doubt worn from years of using the swords that rested at his side. Not to mention the voice that she had heard just a few moments earlier. That voice that had made her feel so warm and safe, despite the shivers it sent down her spine. Though she was sure she had never heard that voice before, it was familiar to her.

A loud cry from another part of the house broke her reverie. She turned her head toward the door, hearing a muffled thump and then a clatter. Obviously Emily had recieved her present. Amber's lips turned up in a small smile. Emily would no doubt have forgotten the prank she had pulled on Amber three weeks earlier, after Amber had confessed her 'vision's to her housemates. The older woman had cut out a picture of Tom Cruise, from his role in the movie _Interview With a Vampire_, and taped it to the mirror. When Amber had walked in to find a life sized cutout, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes seeming to follow her, she had screamed. Emily, of course, had laughed hysterically.

"I know he's not as hot at the other guy you saw! But that was funny. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of your visions. It's just that when you were talking about the man in the mirror, I got this idea."

Amber had known that Emily meant no harm in the prank, but, nonetheless, she had retaliated. Personally, she thought the alarm clock idea was rather funny.

The sound of Emily's door opening and then slamming shut was followed by a loud set of feet on the stairs, which meant the older woman had gone downstairs for breakfast. Amber listened for a moment longer before turning back to the window.

She and Jade were planning on having a meeting later to discuss her visions and Jade's dreams. Neither of them had ever believed in magic or the supernatural, but it seemed like they had been drawn into it either way. Jade dreamed of a different man than Amber saw, but both men wore similar clothing, and their blue and white haori were the same. The girls had decided to do some research and had found that their mystery men were most likely from ninteenth century Japan. The haori were specifically tied to the shinsengumi, a group of warriors who had acted as a police force in the city of Kyoto.

"So, what do two modern day American girls have to do with a couple of samurai from over a century ago?" Jade had asked softly.

"I don't know," Amber replied, "Should we ask Nemu? She's studied a lot about this time period. She said that her ancesteral namesake lived around those dates."

"I think that we should let Emily in on the secret too. If she feels like something's being kept from her, she'll get angry."

Amber nodded in agreement.

The girls had revealed their secret at dinner that night. Emily had thought that they were joking at first, but when she was their serious expressions, she had leaned across the table.

"Are you _serious_?"

Nemu had gone pale and remained strangely quet throughout the meal. The next day, she had left the house, saying that she had urgent business to attend to. When she had returned the day after, she had cheerfully acted as if nothing had ever happened.

Amber frowned. In fact, she had been a little too cheerful lately, like she was trying to force herself to be normal. Nemu knew something, she was sure, and for whatever reason, she felt that the girls did not need to be privy to whatever information she held. Nemu had been nothing but kind to them, especially to Amber, and the youngest girl felt that it was improper to doubt their landlady and friend.

"I just hope that this isn't going to get us into trouble, Nemu, because you kept secrets," she murmured.


	4. The Call

**Here we go, the plot is taking off. Digital brownies to anyone who can guess who the caller is, and cookies to whoever can guess the name of the man in the background. Please, R&R.**

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Jade wandered downstairs at around nine a.m. her brown hair a mess. It had tangled together, framing her face in a matted mess. She straggled into the white-tiled kitchen, where Emily stood at the stove, frying eggs. Emily could be a good cook, it's just that she didn't have the patience to actually cook a meal. Nemu was the best cook. She made exotic dishes from numerous continents and seemed to know exactly how the girls would respond to each one. Jade decided that this was most likely because the woman had been a part of their lives since they were in high school, acting as an older friend and councilor while all three girls were coping with adoptive families. None of them had known who their parents were, or where they were originally from. It was if they had simply appeared out of nowhere at a young age. All of them had been taken in by good families who had made sure that they had good lives. Emily and Jade were both still in contact with their adoptive parents. Amber's had died in an unfortunate accident just before her eighteenth birthday, which left her without a legal guardian. Fortunately, Nemu had stepped in as the new mother, taking her into the house with the other two girls, who were already renting rooms. Nemu had been a friend of Jade's adoptive mother, and felt that it was her responsibility to care for the girl until she came of age.

The older woman had always taken care of all three of them. Jade had met her at the movies during her sophomore year. She was there by herself, as was Nemu. The older woman had approached her and asked if they could sit together since they were the only two in the theater. Two hours later, they had already made plans to go see the sequel together, having kept a running commentary during the entire show. Jade's foster parents had approved of her friendship with the older woman, believing that someone as mature as Nemu would be able to help her by giving her advice as she moved through stages of life that Nemu herself had completed not long before. Since Jade's adoptive parents were getting on in years, they felt that they could not keep up with a teenage daughter, and had welcomed the help that Nemu offered. She quickly became a family friend, and was like an aunt to Jade.

Emily had met Nemu when the woman was working as a librarian at her school. Emily had never been very academic and was struggling through a research project. Nemu had taken pity on her and helped with finding materials and resources. Emily had been very grateful to the older woman and often came down to the library for assistance with homework.

Each of the girls had a different relationship with the landlady. She was not just their landlady. She was a teacher, a helper, a friend, a _senpai_. She had offered each of them a place in the house, at first not wanting to take their money, but in the end, the three of them talked her down, convincing her to accept a ridiculously small rate in addition to utilities.

Jade wandered to the fridge and pulled out the jug of orange juice.

"If you drink from the jug again, I'll hit you with this pan," Emily told her.

Jade smiled slightly.

"That was only once."

"Yeah and it was nasty. You left your amebas in it."

The younger woman chuckled and poured some juice into a glass.

"Do you even know what amebas are?"

"Nope."

A set of feet on the stairs alerted them that Amber was up. Nemu would not be down until she had thoroughly showered and gotten ready.

"So, did you have any rendezvous with your dream man?" Emily asked, fluttering her eyelashes at Jade.

"Yes. The fifth dream," she replied, putting the orange juice back on the top shelf of the fridge.

"The one where you confess your love to him?" Amber asked, picking up on the conversation as she stepped through the doorway.

"Yeah."

Emily flipped two eggs out of the pan and onto a plate before replacing them with two more.

"What about you, Amber? Any more visitors in the mirror?"

Amber shook her head.

"No, today I saw a sakura tree outside my window. Then I heard a man's voice."

"What did he say?" Jade asked, turning to face her, the cup of juice in hand.

Amber's cheeks turned red.

"I can't tell you," she murmured.

Emily grinned, obviously unrelenting because of the alarm clock.

"What? Did he as what color underwear you had on?"

Amber shot her a look.

"No. He told me that I was more beautiful than the sakura blossoms."

"Oooh, so he's hot and romantic."

Amber pointedly ignored her and pulled a glass out of the cabinet. She filled the glass with milk.

"Well, I'm just glad that I didn't get stuck with dreams or visions," Emily quickly changed the subject.

No matter what Amber had done, it was not fair of Emily to mock her about her visions.

"No," Jade snorted into her juice, "You just have an unhealthy obsession with the color dark gold."

Emily gave her a look before finishing the last pair of eggs. She had placed two over hard eggs on each of four plates. Knowing the drill, the other two picked up their plates before moving into the dining room. The table in the dining room was much too big. It could have easily seated twelve people, and Jade always felt like they were expecting other guests to arrive when they ate there.

Jade sat to the right of the head of the table and Emily to the left. Amber took her place on Jade's other side. This arrangement had never been verbally decided. It had simply come into being.

Emily took a stab at her eggs, her light hair sticking up every which way. A result of her strange sleeping habits. She glanced up at the ceiling as she placed her fork in her mouth.

"Hmm..." she chewed slowly.

Amber picked up on her thinking.

"Nemu is taking longer than usual."

Jade nodded, in the process of meticulously cutting up her own food.

"...Nemu has been acting strange lately."

Amber made a small noise of affirmation, her mouth too full to reply properly.

"She's always on the phone," Emily muttered, her fork hanging limply in her hands so that the prongs rested on her plate, "And she never lets us answer that _one_ number."

Jade frowned.

"That's right. She even told us specifically not to answer it..."

Amber was silent for a moment before adding her own statement to the conversation.

"Nemu knows something about what's happening to us. Every time I talk about a vision or Jade talks about a dream, she suddenly changes the subject. I think she's hiding something."

"That's not like her," Emily's eyes were distant as she absentmindedly tapped her fork against the edge of her plate, "We've always been kind of a family unit. She's never kept secrets from us before, and this is a big deal, you know?"

"Yeah," Jade frowned.

The phone in the kitchen rang, interrupting any further conversation. Jade rose quickly and ran into the kitchen. She pulled the wireless phone from the receiver, not bothering to look at the caller ID as she pushed the 'talk' button.

"Hello?"

The voice that answered from the other end was friendly and masculine.

"Hello! How are you today?"

Jade was surprised. She did not recognize the voice.

"I'm fine," she said slowly, "And you?"

"Me? I'm doing well, thank you for asking!"

Another man began speaking in the background. Jade could not make out what he was saying, but he sounded like he wanted the man on the phone to stop with the pleasantries.

"Yes, yes, I'm getting there," the man on the phone said before once again speaking to Jade, "I'm looking for Ms. Miakage. Is she there?"

"We haven't seen her yet this morning. I don't know if she's up yet."

The man laughed heartily.

"Oh, so she's sleeping in. I wish I could do the same."

Jade felt her lips quirking. The man's good humor was contagious.

"Maybe you'll get to nap later in the day to make up for it," she suggested.

He laughed again.

"That's a good idea."

The man in the background spoke again, louder this time.

"Sorry, I'll get back on track!" he said to him before returning to Jade, "Could I leave a message with you, Miss...?" he trailed off inquiringly.

"Jade."

"Alright, Miss Jade. Would that be alright?"

"Of course, I'll pass it along to her when I see her."

"Wonderful! Could you ask her if six o' clock tomorrow at the Paper Moon is alright?"

Jade cocked her head, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"I'll make sure to ask her as soon as she gets up. Should I write down a callback number or...?"

"Oh, no, it's fine! I think she already has it," the man in the background spoke again, "Well, I had better get going! It was nice speaking to you, Miss Jade!"

He hung up, leaving Jade with only a dial tone.

"You too," she muttered to the headset.

Curious, she pushed a button, bringing up the caller ID of the most recent call. After a moment's pause, she set the phone back in the cradle and returned to the dining room.

Emily had finished with her eggs and was waiting for Jade's return. She cocked a brow at the younger girl.

"Who was it?"

Jade was silent for a moment.

"It was that number."

Emily's eyes widened.

"Seriously? What happened? Who was there?"

Amber looked at Jade with an expression much like Emily's, waiting for more information.

"It was a man. He was very nice. I got the impression that he was easy going. He asked me to deliver a message to Nemu."

"What message?" Amber asked.

"He asked me to see if six o' clock tomorrow at the Paper Moon was alright with her?"

Emily frowned.

"What the heck? Is this her secret boyfriend or something?"

Jade shook her head.

"No. He kept getting off track and chatting with me. There was another man in the background who reminded him to get back on task. I don't think it was a date. Though I wondered that too."

"This worries me. I mean, I don't want to doubt Nemu in any way, but I don't think its safe for her to be meeting up with strange men...especially since she's been acting so strange lately," Amber said softly.

"Shh, I hear her coming."

A set of feet on the stairs preceded a greeting.

"Morning, girls!"

They each called back their own greetings in reply.

Jade quickly scarfed down her remaining eggs. Emily and Amber exchanged a look.

"Sorry for taking so long. I've got some things to take care of today so I had to get ready."

The girls peeked into the kitchen to find that Nemu had indeed gotten ready. She was dressed in a blue button-up blouse and black dress pants. Her silky black hair was pulled up in a half back, drawing more attention to her pale face. As usual, she had just the right amount of makeup on. She glanced into the dining room, smiling with her black eyes.

"I heard the phone ring. Was it anyone important?"

There was a moment of silence in which the girls exchanged glances. Despite Nemu's light tone, it was a loaded question. Finally, Jade answered.

"A man."

"Ooh? Did one of you lucky girls finally land a date?" Nemu's tone seemed to be teasing, but there was an underlying current of worry.

Jade looked pointedly at the table as she continued. A feeling of guilt had welled up inside her. She was sure that the man was connected to whatever Nemu was hiding, and therefore to the strange events of present. However, she felt like she was betraying her friend's trust by prying. After all, she could have looked at the caller ID, but she chose not to, half hoping that it would be the forbidden number. For just a moment, she was tempted to lie. Instead, she told the truth.

"He was looking for you. He asked me to pass on a message."

All sounds from the kitchen ceased for just a moment. Then they resumed.

"Oh? What did he say?" Nemu asked in the same forced light tone she had teased them with.

"He asked if six o' clock tomorrow at the paper moon is alright."

Nemu walked into the dining room, holding a bowl of cereal. Her lips were curved in a smile, but the expression did not reach her eyes.

"Hm, I'll have to call him back on my cell phone as I'm doing my errands today."

Emily smiled, attempting to act normal.

"Did _you _finally score a date, Nemu?"

Nemu laughed and shook her head.

"Oh no, we're merely old acquaintances. We bumped into each other recently and were looking for a time to catch up."

"Mm-hm. You'll be bringing him over for dinner in no time."

Nemu smiled genuinely.

"Oh, Emily. What would I do without your sense of humor?"

Jade and Amber glanced at each other again. Whoever Nemu was meeting, they were quite sure it was not just an old acquaintance.


	5. The Paper Moon

**Sooo, I feel like this chapter moved a little fast...but it got me to where I needed to be. Reviews are much appreciated! And I'm still having a hard time believing that I posted so many chapters with so little time between (trust me, I'm not always this fast). Hugs to whoever can guess who the man at the end of the chapter is! And whose 'arse' is in the way.**

**Enjoy!**

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"You're joking, right?"

The words were out of Jade's mouth before she could stop herself. Never before had she been presented with such a ludicrous plan as this.

Emily shook her head, smiling proudly.

"Nope."

"You've been watching too many James Bond movies," Amber said, turning a page in her book without looking up.

"I have not! Look," Emily said pleadingly, "It'll be easy. Kelly works at the Paper Moon. We'll tell her that we're there to keep an eye on Nemu since she's meeting up with a strange guy. Kelly will get us a table where we can see but not be seen. And then we can intervene if anything comes up."

"Emily, it'll never work. Nemu knows us too well," Jade argued from her seat on the couch, "Besides, it's not our place to pry like this."

Emily was standing in the middle of the living room, pacing up and down the red carpet that sat on the hardwood floor. Amber was curled up in an armchair, a thick tome resting on her lap. The evening light shone through the curtains at the windows.

The color scheme of the room was maroon and dark brown, giving it a warm and homey feel. A stone fireplace was set into one wall. All the furniture in the room faced the hearth allowing the occupants to feel its warmth in the winter. It was the perfect place to relax on Labor Day Monday. Not that the girls were doing much relaxing. They were much too worried about things like the mysterious caller, Nemu's strange behavior, and the odd visions and dreams.

"Exactly! And she knows that we know this. So, she would assume that we would never be stupid enough to follow through with it!" Emily continued.

"You said it, not me," Jade muttered.

"Anyway! I've got a feeling that this guy she's meeting has something to do with Amber's visions and your dreams."

Amber finally looked up. Her grey eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"It's just a feeling, you know? But I really think he's got something to do with it."

Jade was silent for a moment, staring at the wall, frowning thoughtfully.

It was true that she wanted to go along with Emily's plan of following Nemu to the Paper Moon. She too had a gut feeling that something big would happen if they did. However, she did not want to betray Nemu's trust. She debated the options of going and staying home. If she stayed, they would be in the same boat they had been for quite some time, and Nemu might be hurt by meeting this mysterious man.

She nodded, coming to a decision.

"Let's go."

Amber looked at her in disbelief.

"Jade..."

"I know, it's crazy. But...I've got a feeling too. Maybe if we go, we'll find out more about what's been happening to us. And...I don't like Nemu meeting up with this guy. Especially after she's been acting so strange. I mean, he could be dangerous."

Amber glanced between the two of them. Emily looked excited while Jade's expression was one of determination. Finally, the youngest girl sighed.

"Fine. Nemu's getting ready right now. We'll have to wait until she leaves to start getting ourselves ready."

Emily grinned. Jade nodded.

A few minutes later, Namu came downstairs. The girls could not see her due to their positions in the living room, but they knew that she must look stunning. Nemu always did when she put time into her appearance. The jingling of keys heralded her departure.

"Bye, girls, I'll see you later!" she called cheerfully as she exited the house, "Behave!"

"We will!" Emily yelled back.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind their landlady, Emily was on her feet. She raced up the stairs, laughing.

"This is gonna be fun!"

Amber stared after her for a moment, a deadpan expression on her face. Then she looked to Jade.

"Do you think she's actually interested in helping us or Nemu, or does she just want to spy on her because she thinks it's fun?"

Jade smiled, swinging her legs down from where they had been resting on the couch..

"I think it's a bit of both," she rose, "I'd better get ready too."

Amber watched as she left the room. Then she looked down at her book. Sighing, she marked her page and closed the book.

"This is a bad idea," she muttered, going up to her own room.

She tossed the book onto her bed as she entered the room before moving to her closet.

The Paper Moon was a casual restaurant, which, in Amber's mind, meant that a pair of jeans and a nice shirt would be fine. She was already wearing jeans, so all that was needed was the shirt. She shifted through hangers of numerous shirts, pants, and skirts. Finally, she chose a sky blue button up blouse that caused her grey eyes to take on more of a bluish cast. She did a twirl in front of the mirror, half hoping that the man would appear.

He did not.

With a small shrug, she quickly ran to the bathroom, hoping to make it before Emily did. Emily always took forever doing her makeup, despite the fact that she did not wear much at all. Amber personally thought it was because she could not figure out how to use the applicators.

Once in the bathroom, Amber dug through her drawer under the sink until she found her makeup. She quickly applied silver eye shadow. She then ringed her eyes in grey liner and dark mascara. She finished by applying lip gloss to her pale lips so that they shined slightly.

As she was finishing her lip gloss, Emily began pounding at the door.

"Come on, Amber! I want to get ready too!"

Amber sighed, putting her makeup away. She opened the door, giving Emily a look.

"Don't bang on the door when you've only just arrived. It's rude," she said as she walked past.

Emily scowled and marched into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Amber looked over her shoulder with a mildly surprised expression.

"Oh my."

* * *

"Amber, you're never driving again," Emily groaned, climbing out of the back seat of the car.

Amber got out as well, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

"He cut me off. It was his fault, not mine. Besides, we made it safely."

Jade sighed, pushing her passenger side door open and stepping onto the black asphalt. She tugged on her flowing white skirt so that it did not touch the ground as she stood slowly. Worn above the skirt was a green blouse. Though she would never admit it, the fabric of the shirt was the same green as the eyes of the man in her dreams. The sleeves of the blouse were fitted to upper arms before they flared out at the elbow, hanging loosely around her forearms. Her long brown hair hung loosely down her back, framing her dark eyes.

Emily adjusted the waistband of her black skirt, which flowed about her knees in what could only be described as a 'flirty' manner. Her own shirt was white and short sleeved. It contorted to her body, outlining her bosom to its fullest. Her light brown hair was pulled into a messy halfback, her bangs swept off to the side. Her eyelids were dusted in gold and her lips given a similar tint. Numerous gold bangles clinked together on her slender wrists, accented by her gold nails. Her blue eyes sparkled excitedly, framed by dark lashes.

"C'mon! I called Kelly on my cell and got reservations near Nemu."

Amber locked the car before sliding the keys into her purse.

"I'm still not sure we'll be able to pull this off."

"You aren't the only one," Jade replied, pulling her own purse over her shoulder.

The trio made their way to the front door of the restaurant. As soon as they entered, a warm blast of air struck them, giving a nice contrast to the crisp fall atmosphere outside. Japanese music played over the speakers as they stepped up to the front desk. The woman working there looked up their reservation before having Kelly direct them to their table.

The Paper Moon was a traditional Japanese restaurant. The décor consisted of an abundance of rice paper screens, paper lanterns, and lovely flower displays. The restaurant was sectioned off by the paper screens so that different parts of the restaurant could have different themes in décor.

All three women were regular customers, as they all shared a fondness of Japanese food, which is how they formed a friendship with the waitress, Kelly. Kelly led them to a four person table that abutted one of the dividing screens. She pulled out a small pad of paper after they were seated, smiling brightly, her blonde hair tied up in a high bun.

"Hey girls! What can I get you to drink?" she asked cheerfully.

"Come on, you don't know, Kelly?" Emily teased.

Kelly grinned.

"Just making sure," she jotted down something on her pad of paper, "I'll come back with the tea in a few minutes," she glanced around before leaning closer, "Nemu's a few tables from the paper screen that I've put you guys next to. Careful though, there's a group of guys right on the other side of the screen. I think they're with her man. So keep the volume down, okay?"

The girls exchanged glances. If the man Nemu was meeting up with had brought friends, she might be in trouble.

"Thanks, Kelly."

The waitress nodded before walking off.

Jade thought quickly. They would need to discuss the goings on of the night without being overheard by the men on the other side of the screen, which would have been a difficult task. However, she, Emily, and Amber had all taken the same foreign language back in high school. They had chosen Japanese because it was Nemu's native language and they thought it would be fun to communicate with her in her own tongue. They had previously used it to discuss things in public that they did not want others to know. It would be perfect.

Jade stayed sitting in a normal position, not wanting to look conspicuous by leaning across the table.

**"It might be best if we spoke like this tonight," **she said in Japanese.

Emily blinked in surprise, having completely forgotten about their 'secret language'.

**"I agree," **Amber replied, **"If those men are trouble, then we don't want to tip them off that we're here to keep an eye on Nemu."**

**"Hai, that could be a problem,"**Emily grinned, **"What if they're ninjas or something?"**

Jade thought she heard a laugh turned quickly into a cough on the other side of the screen but decided to dismiss it.

Amber sighed.

**"This isn't the time for your stupid jokes, Emily."**

**"What? I thought it was funny."**

**"You always think your jokes are funny,"**Jade said wryly, **"It's everyone else who disagrees."**

Emily stuck her lower lip out in a pout, averting her eyes toward the screen. She blinked inquiringly. Then a slow grin stretched over her lips. She was closest to the screen and therefore had no one to lean over as she maneuvered to peek through the cracks between the panels. After a moment, she frowned.

**"Well, the guy whose arse is in the way is pretty big. But he's the only one I can see," **she muttered.

Jade once again thought she heard some snickering from the other side of the screen, but put it off to someone having told a joke at the other table.

**"Oh well, I guess we'll just ask Kelly how many there are," **Jade replied.

Amber looked at her in disbelief.

**"Jade, what are three women going to do against a group of men? We came out here to make sure nothing bad happened to Nemu, and maybe get some information along the way. But none of us are trained in any way. What are we going to do if there ****_is_**** trouble?"**

Emily grinned, leaning away from the screen.

**"Why, what everyone does of course. Call the police."**

Amber sighed.

**"You're both idiots."**

"Who's the bigger fool? The fool, or the fool who follows him?" Jade questioned in English.

"Star Wars?" Emily asked.

Jade nodded.

Amber shook her head and looked away.

Kelly chose that moment to come back with their tea. She spoke in soft tones as she poured the steaming liquid from the pot into three separate cups, her eyes darting toward the screen.

"So far they're just talking. Whatever it is must be pretty serious because they look sad. The guys are the table are just talking too. They've been drinking quite a bit of sake, though."

"How many are there?" Jade asked.

"Hmmm, about five. All of them look pretty fit. I really hope Nemu hasn't gotten into any trouble," the waitress looked worried as she placed the pot on a towel in the center of the table.

"We're hoping the same thing. Keep us posted."

Kelly nodded before hurrying off.

"Geez," Emily sighed, **"I really don't like this, guys."**

Amber traced a pattern on the tabletop and remained silent. Jade stared at the opposite wall in much the same state. She was the only one sitting on her side of the table, the side closest to the wall. The main isle that ran through the restaurant was easily in sight. Emily and Amber sat on the other side, facing her and the set of windows behind her.

"**Maybe one of us should peek around the corner and check it out," **she suggested.

There was sudden movement from the other side of the screen, like someone getting up out of their chair. It was followed by a series of murmurs and a few quiet laughs. Jade's eyes narrowed. Whoever these men were, they were making an effort to be quiet. She kept her gaze focused ahead, on the main isle, her instincts telling her that whoever had gotten up would be rounding the corner of the paper screen divider and coming into their side.

When he did, Jade felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Her eyes went wide and her heart stopped.

A tall, brown haired man stepped out from behind the screen, a smirk plastered to his face. He turned as he rounded the corner of the divider so that he was looking back at their table. He was wearing a pair of dress slacks and white button up with a red tie. His brown hair was cut so that it fell messily about his face. It wasn't his clothing or his hair that had stunned Jade, though.

It was his cold green eyes that seemed to stare into her soul.


	6. Reality

**Thank you to ****_lylica _****for your excitement at new chapters being posted. It gives me incentive to write quickly. Thank you to ****_rawrrxixeatxyou_****, ****_OniKuShita_****, and ****_Hannah_**** for your encouragement. And thank you to ****_OuttaGalaxy_**** for your in depth reviews, and for catching my errors (it's much appreciated). Please enjoy the next chapter. It's kinda lengthy, but once I got started, it just kept coming, XD.**

**R&R**

* * *

Jade sat stiffly in her chair, unable to tear her eyes away from those of the man. His smirk widened as he took in her rigid posture, the way her clenched fists were laid on top of the table. A bead of sweat made a trail down the side of her face from her hairline to her chin. She felt incredibly cold as she stared at him.

His eyes were dark and held a flicker of amusement. His dangerous air was much more palpable in real life than it had ever been in her dreams. Looking at him now, she was as sure as her dream self had been. He would kill her if he was given reason to.

Amber noticed Jade's predicament and covered the older woman's hand with her own.

"Jade, what is it?"

Emily followed Jade's gaze and saw the man. Her eyes widened.

"Holy crap."

Amber turned as well. Her own body stiffened when she saw him. Then she turned quickly back to Jade.

"It's _him_, isn't it?"

Jade could not answer. She tried, but her mouth would not work to form the words.

The man chuckled, seeming highly amused by her reaction to him. He began to move toward their table, his movements fluid and graceful, his eyes never leaving Jade.

This was too much for her.

Abruptly, the room dimmed and the sounds around her became muted by the high pitched ringing in her ears. She felt suddenly weightless, weak, like she had lost control of her body. She saw the man's expression change from cruel amusement to surprise. He picked up his pace, moving toward them more quickly, urgently.

Emily reached across the table to her, her blue eyes wide.

"Jade!"

Amber felt helpless as she saw Jade's rigid posture loosen. Her eyes became unfocused and she began to fall to the side. Before either of the girls could do anything to help their friend, the green eyed man was there, catching her before she could hit the floor. She slipped into his arms, her eyes closed, her head falling limply against his shoulder.

The other patrons of the restaurant began to mutter. Several got to their feet in the natural hope of offering some sort of assistance but not knowing what to do. The green eyed man stood slowly, carefully, holding Jade close to his chest.

"Don't worry," he spoke to those around him in English, but his voice was accented, "She'll be alright."

Comforted by his authoritative tone, the other diners slowly went back to their meals, still glancing at Jade with open curiosity and worry.

The man's eyes moved to Emily and Amber. His lips slowly quirked back into a smirk.

"Now, how about we stop with the sneaking around, ne?"

The two women exchanged looks.

"You, the blonde," the man nodded to Emily, "Go get your friend and meet us outside."

Emily looked highly agitated at being called 'blonde', but her worry for Jade quelled any snarky comment she might have replied with. She quickly wriggled between Amber's chair and that of the table behind her, hurrying to find Nemu. Like a child with a parent, an instinct deep within her told her that Nemu could fix anything. Nemu would help. Everything would be alright once Nemu was there. She practically ran between the tables and around the corner of the dividing screen.

Nemu sat at a back table near the middle of the wall with an unfamiliar man. A few tables to the left of them, abutting the screen, was a the group of men. Kelly had been right, they all looked formidable, even the youngest, who could not have been any older than Amber. They all watched her as she rushed toward the table where Nemu sat, seeming to know exactly who she was.

"Nemu!"

The older woman looked up in surprise, recognizing Emily's voice. Her brow furrowed as the younger woman reached the table, a panicked look on her face.

"Emily, what are you doing here?"

"There's no time! We need your help! Jade fainted!"

Nemu's eyes went wide and she stood quickly, glancing at her dinner partner.

"My apologies, Kondou-san, but I must attend to this."

"Of course," his expression was sympathetic as he stood as well, "Allow me to join you after paying for the meal."

Nemu gave a curt nod before grabbing Emily's hand and striding back the way Emily had come.

"What happened?" she asked, her tone full of urgency.

"There was a man, a man with green eyes. We think he was from the group in the back. He came around the corner and Jade saw him. Then, after a few moments, she just passed out!"

She could not see Nemu's expression from where she was being dragged along behind the woman, but she had known her long enough to know what it was. Her lips would be pressed tightly together and her eyes narrowed the way they were in desperate situations. Her grip on Emily's hand was tight as they hurried through the lobby.

The receptionist at the desk waved them through, guessing what their purpose was. Nemu dropped Emily's hand and pushed the door open, not bothering to hold it for Emily in her haste. Not that Emily minded, she was far too worried about her friend.

"Nemu," she asked in a low tone, "Is it _him_?"

Nemu actually stopped for a moment, her eyes dropping to the ground. She was silent for a long pause.

"Yes. The man in Jade's dreams and the man currently with her are one and the same."

"How?" Emily's eyes were wide with shock.

Nemu's eyes snapped up again, becoming focused once more.

"I'll explain everything later, for now, Jade takes precedence."

The two women made their way to Amber's car, where she was waving them over. She stood slightly off to the side. The green eyed man had placed Jade in the back seat and was crouched down slightly, his fingers pressing against the underside of her wrist. He did not look up when Nemu and Emily arrived.

"She'll live," he said, placing Jade's hand in her lap before standing.

The cold look he shot Nemu gave Emily and Amber the impression that he did not like her much at all.

"You really didn't tell them anything, did you, Oni woman?" his sneer was enough to send Amber back a few steps, "If you had, my appearance wouldn't have shocked her."

Nemu pushed past him to examine Jade herself.

"I didn't want to endanger them."

He shot her a glare, not moving more than a few inches to let her near the unconscious girl. It was obvious that he was about to make a scathing remark, but another voice interrupted.

"That's enough, Souji."

Souji immediately quieted, though his cold expression remained.

"Hai, Kondou-san."

The man Nemu had been sitting with walked over to stand with them. His face was worried as he looked into the car to see Jade.

"Is she alright?"

"Hai," Nemu answered in Japanese without thinking, "She was just shocked to see Okita-san."

Kondou nodded.

"I see. I don't mean to be rude, Miakage-san, but I think that this proves my point. You alone are not enough to protect these young women. You did not even know that they had followed you here, placing themselves out in the open."

"I didn't expect them to question me. Normally they respect me enough to trust my judgment."

Amber looked down upon hearing the thinly veiled anger in Nemu's words. Emily straightened.

"We're sorry for betraying your trust, but you were worrying us, Nemu. You've been acting strange ever since Jade and Amber came forward. We thought you were hiding something, but now we know," her eyes narrowed, "I've never been angry with you before, but right now, I'm pretty damn close."

The sternness and anger drained from Nemu's face.

"I'm sorry girls...it shouldn't have happened like this."

The doors at the front of the restaurant opened again and the group of men came out. There were four of them without Okita in their numbers. Emily was not surprised to see them since she had caught a glance of them on her way to get Nemu. Amber, however, was a different story. She looked over her shoulder as they approached. Then she went very pale.

One of the men, a young man with hair so dark it was purple, stopped to stare back at her. His visible eye widened. The other was covered by his bangs. His hair was shorter than it had been in her vision of him in the mirror, but there no mistaking that it was him. He wore a black dress shirt and black dress pants. A dark blue tie was at his neck. His expression had never changed, but his eyes were filled with a strange sort of longing as he watched her face.

Amber slowly turned so that she was facing him. Hesitantly, she took a step forward. Then another. She was unaware of the expressionless mask Nemu had put on in response to this, Emily's bewildered look, or the grinning faces of the other men. It was if the world had become suddenly focused around him. With those slow, hesitant steps she made her way to stand before him, looking up at him. His sapphire eyes became guarded, as if he were worried about what she might say or do.

Slowly, deliberately, she stretched out a hand and gently laid it against his chest. Beneath his clothing and his flesh, she felt his heartbeat, only slightly quickened despite the emotions in his eyes. She stared at her hand for a moment before back to his face.

"You _are _real," she breathed.

He paused. Then he gave a single, slow nod.

In response, Amber's face broke into a smile, which caused his cheeks to darken slightly.

The biggest man of the group, who had refused to dress up, laughed boisterously. The man next to him, who had hair that was the reddish color of cherry wood, smiled. The youngest of the group snickered.

"Saito's blushing!" he cried.

"Hai, it's a rare sight so take a good look, Heisuke!" the big man hooted.

Saito ignored them as Amber withdrew her hand, her own cheeks going pink. His lips quirked slightly at this and his eyes softened.

Emily made a face.

"Put your eyes back in your head, Amber."

Amber looked down quickly, her blush more pronounced.

Despite being angry a few minutes earlier, Okita gave a laugh and shot off something in Japanese so quickly that neither Emily or Amber could understand. Whatever he said caused the men to begin laughing again. Saito closed his eyes against the comment with a small sigh. Kondou shook his head, attempting to look stern in reply to Okita's words.

Nemu cleared her throat.

"We aren't accomplishing anything by standing out here in the parking lot. We should return to the house. Follow my lead, please."

Kondou nodded.

"Hai. If you don't mind, I would like to send at least one of my men with each of your two vehicles."

Nemu's lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded, knowing that it was unavoidable. She turned to Emily.

"You're with me, Emily. You can explain this foolish plan of yours on the way back."

Emily looked sheepish.

"How'd you know it was my plan?"

Nemu gave her a look.

"Because you're the only one that would be fool enough to do something like this."

Emily blinked.

"...Should I feel insulted?"

Nemu sighed and gave her a push toward her car. Kondou turned to the red haired man.

"Harada, please accompany them."

Harada bowed before following Nemu and Emily.

Amber pulled her keys out of her purse and walked around to the driver's side door, resisting the urge to steal glances at Saito.

Kondou nodded at the stoic man.

"Saito, go with her."

Saito bowed and moved to the passenger side door.

Okita spoke up, his ever present smirk returning.

"If it's alright with you, Kondou-san, I'll go with them as well."

Kondou looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. then he nodded.

"That's fine, Souji."

Okita gave a slight bow before sliding into the back seat, behind Amber, who was situating herself in the driver's seat. She glanced in the rearview mirror.

"Would you mind putting the seat belt around her, Okita-san?"

Okita's smirk grew more pronounced.

"Nani, do you not have confidence in your own driving?"

Amber gave him a deadpan look.

"It's illegal for passengers not to have seatbelts on," she said before starting the engine.

Saito buckled himself in. Okita sighed and reached across Jade's unconscious form, careful not to touch her in any manner that would upset Amber. After buckling her in, he attended to his own seatbelt. He then gave Amber a look.

"Are we leaving now?"

Amber put the car in reverse and carefully backed out. Saito's presence was making her nervous, so she had to take more care than usual. As they pulled out of the parking lot, she reviewed the emotions she had felt when she had seen him. First she had been shocked. Then she had been curious. More than that, however, she had felt a surge of something she refused to put a name to.

_That's ridiculous. We just met._

A shiver ran down her spine as she thought about her visions of him.

_Didn't we?_


	7. The Beginning of the Tale

**Hello, dear readers! I would like to thank all my reviewers, favoriters, and followers for their support. And for giving me incentive to continue writing quickly. I've recently been watching ****_Hakuouki Reimeiroku_**** and am absolutely loving it! I cry almost every time one of the main guys walks on screen because they're alive and still fighting and...and *sniffles*. **

**I also have an announcement. TOMORROW, ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, I WILL BE 18. I'm finally going to be an adult! I'm so excited!**

**Please, R&R my story as a birthday present!**

* * *

Emily sat in a tense silence in the passenger seat of Nemu's jeep, her arms folded over her chest and her face displaying a rare coldness. The headlights of cars passing them in the opposite lane illuminated her face, throwing it sharply into focus before once again hiding it in shadow. She had sat as far away from her friend as possible. Nemu glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and sighed.

"Emily-" she began.

"Save it, Nemu," Emily growled, "I'm sure that you'll be giving a full explanation back at the house."

Nemu pressed on despite Emily's objection.

"Emily, I never wanted to hurt you in any way."

"It's not me I'm angry about. I'm the oldest you know, I'm supposed to take care of the other two. I wanted to help them so much...I've never felt so helpless before. And the next thing I know, you were keeping secrets that could have helped them," her voice grew in volume as she spoke, "Do you know how many nights I walked past Jade's door and heard her crying herself to sleep because she was afraid of the dreams and didn't know what they meant? How many times Amber stayed up late into the night because she was afraid that if she slept, she would have the same types of dreams? They went to you for help and you _wrote them off_!" Emily did not fight the angry tears that came to her eyes.

Nemu seemed to deflate more with each word.

"And all in the name of protecting us? Seriously? It'd probably work out better if we knew who exactly wants to hurt us. Instead you just let us go about our lives completely oblivious. I thought you cared about us, Nemu!"

A large hand suddenly clapped down on Emily's shoulder. She looked back in surprise, dark tracks on her cheeks showing where her makeup had been dragged down her skin by her tears. She had completely forgotten about the man in the back seat. He leaned forward, his face serious.

"I know you're upset, but this is difficult for her as well," his dark gold eyes bored into hers, "Please, be patient and wait for her explanation before you start making accusations."

"Thank you, Harada-san," Nemu murmured.

Emily stared at him. She nodded slowly.

"Okay," she said, her anger going out of her.

He smiled softly and she felt her heart skip a beat. She had just discovered that she was not without a historical tie, as she had thought. The color dark gold had always brought back impressions that were almost memories. She had associated it with happiness, warmth, a large hand wrapped around hers, a man's gentle smile. She had also associated it with strength, willpower, determination, and, strangest of all, a specific weapon. Now she knew why.

Her favorite color was the same shade as Harada's eyes.

* * *

_She watched him carefully, waiting for him to react to her words. She had laid out her heart to him, and she honestly was not sure if he would accept or reject her. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Then he started toward her. She froze, unsure of his intentions._

_As soon as she was within reach, he grabbed her sleeve tightly in one hand and pulled her into a warm embrace. She felt his cheek resting against the top of her hair. Her own was pressed to his shoulder so that her forehead was nestled in the crook of his neck._

_"You love me, ne?" it was meant to be teasing, but lacked the tone, "I was afraid of that."_

_"Why?"_

_"I'm a walking dead man, Jun-chan," he murmured, dropping his arrogant air for once and letting her see a glimpse of what was deep within._

_"Then let me love you until you leave this earth, Souji-kun," she whispered._

Jade opened her eyes slowly. She stared up at the off-white ceiling of her bedroom before blinking in confusion. She should have still been at the restaurant, not at home. She felt warmth all around her and realized that she had been carefully tucked into bed. Slowly, she sat up, the purple comforter falling to lay on her legs. She frowned at the thick blanket, growing even more confused when she realized that she was still wearing her skirt and blouse. The green blouse stirred something in her memory. A pair of eyes...

Her own eyes flew wide as she remembered.

She had seen _him_. The man with the beautiful, cruel green eyes. The last thing she remembered was the world blurring around her, his surprised expression, and then, darkness. It made no sense to her until she realized the embarrassing truth.

She had fainted.

She gave a small groan and put her face in her hands. Emily would never let her hear the end of it. Not only that but, if he was still around, she had a feeling the man would not either, based on what she had seen in her dreams.

It was at that moment that she realized something. The dream she had just experienced was different from the others. It was a continuation of the fifth dream. Not only that, but she had heard names spoken in the dream. For the first time, she had heard the name of the green eyed man.

"Souji..." she murmured.

A soft knock sounded on the door, interrupting Jade's memories of Souji.

"I'm coming in."

Amber entered, her face solemn, though she did look happy to see that Jade was awake.

"Oh, good, you're up. I was coming to see if I couldn't wake you. You slept through the night."

Jade pulled the blanket off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, noticing that it was indeed morning outside.

"I'm fine," she said, standing.

Amber nodded. She looked strangely preoccupied. Her grey eyes were distant even as she interacted with Jade. The older woman cocked her head to the side.

"Was yours there too?" she asked.

Amber blinked, clearing her head, and looked up at her. Her brow furrowed as she registered the question.

"Mine?"

"The man from your visions."

"Oh," the girl's cheeks went pink, "Y-yes, he's here."

"Here?"

Amber nodded.

"After we came back from the restaurant last night, Nemu and Kondou-san decided to make temporary sleeping arrangements here," she smiled slightly, "Saito-san took the room up here."

Jade cocked a brow.

"Saito-_san_?"

Amber looked down, blushing again.

"Nemu suggested we use the Japanese honorifics to make them more comfortable."

Jade felt her eyes narrow.

"How many are staying here?"

"There are six of them, including Kondou-san. He's the one you talked to on the phone. He and Okita-san are staying on the first floor. Heisuke-kun, Shinpachi-san, and Harada-san are downstairs."

Jade nodded slowly, moving toward the door. It made her uneasy that these six men were staying in the same house as them, even if Kondou had seemed rather friendly. It made her even more uneasy that Okita was so close. While she was excited at the prospect of seeing him again, despite the way their last encounter had ended, she was very nervous. She had never expected this man to be real. Now that she knew he was, she was not sure how to react to him.

As she passed Amber to walk through the door, a thought occurred to her.

"Amber, who carried me upstairs last night?" she asked with a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Amber could not help the grin that appeared on her face. Despite their current situation, she knew what Jade was afraid of, and could not resist the chance to tease her.

"Why, Okita-san, of course."

That was enough to set Jade's face aflame.

"He tried to put on a tough front and act aloof, but he wouldn't let anyone near you. One of the others offered to do it but he said 'if you touch her, I'll have to kill you'," Amber's grin faded, "You know...he talked like he knew you. The same thing happened with Saito-san. He just stared at me like...like there was something between us."

Jade was silent for a long moment, her blush dying down.

"Amber, what if my dreams and your visions...are memories?"

Amber frowned.

"From nearly two hundred years ago?"

"They're real, aren't they?" the other girl motioned toward the open door with her head.

"They are," she remembered the steady pulse of Saito's heart when she had placed a hand on his chest.

"This just makes me wonder 'what's going on' even more," Jade murmured, walking out the door.

Amber caught her arm.

"You might want to at least get dressed and comb your hair. They are still guests, no matter the situation."

Jade realized how sloppy she would appear if she went downstairs in her rumpled clothes and messy hair. She felt herself flush slightly in embarrassment.

"I'll be down in a few minutes."

Amber nodded and left, closing the door. She went downstairs to find everyone gathered at the huge dining table. She stopped in the doorway, unsure of where to sit.

Emily had placed herself between Shinpachi and Harada. After she had returned last night, her face streaked with tear tracks, she had announced that she was not going to bed until she knew what was going on. The red haired man had pulled her aside, seeming to know exactly what to say in order to calm her down. He had rested one large hand on her head and smiled gently at her, speaking in a low, persuasive voice. Amber had been amazed to watch as the tension went out of Emily's shoulders. The older woman stared up at him, entranced by his eyes. Then she nodded, agreeing to go to bed and wait for everything to be explained in the morning, when Jade was awake. Harada had smiled at her and thanked her. Never before had anyone had that sort of calming effect on Emily. She was always hot headed and playful. As soon as he touched her, though, she was calm, willing to do what he suggested.

Amber's eyes slid to Okita. He sat between Kondou and Saito. He felt her gaze and glanced at her, his lips turned up in a catlike smile. His pupils seemed to be almost slitted within his green eyes, adding to his feline appearance. Amber decided that he reminded her of the Cheshire cat, always smiling but dangerous. She had been surprised when he had carried Jade upstairs the previous night. When Heisuke had offered to do it instead, Okita had looked up from unbuckling Jade and given the boy what appeared to be a teasing smile, his eyes closed.

"Ne, Heisuke-kun, you should know," his eyes opened, cold and dangerous, "If you touch her, I'll kill you."

Heisuke had immediately backed off, muttering about how he was just trying to help. Okita had easily lifted Jade from the car, a tender expression briefly flickering across his face. Amber directed him to the other girl's room, holding the door open for him and pulling aside Jade's covers. She had watched silently as he laid Jade down carefully, gently, his eyes never leaving her face. Then he had drawn the covers up around her, tucking her in. Okita brushed a strand of hair back from her face, smiling softly. Then his green eyes had flashed up to Amber, immediately hardening.

"If you tell anyone about this..."

Amber cocked a brow.

"You'll kill me?" she guessed.

He nodded before leaving.

"Amber-chan!" Heisuke's voice broke through her reverie.

She looked to where he was sitting at the foot of the rectangular table, across from Nemu. He smiled, patting the chair next to him.

"You can sit next to me!"

Amber felt herself smile slightly.

"Arigato, Heisuke-kun."

She sat next to him and examined the group. To her direct right was Heisuke. Next to him was Shinpachi. Followed by Emily, then Harada. Between Harada and Nemu, who was at the head of the table, sat an empty chair for Jade. Along the left side of the table was Kondou, who was next to Nemu. Okita sat next to him, leaving an empty space between him and Amber.

Saito entered the room at that moment, having just gotten off the phone with someone named Hijikata. He nodded to Kondou, as if to verify something, and then sat between Amber and Okita. He looked at her for a long moment with his sapphire eyes, his gaze gentle as he observed her.

"Good morning," he said politely, as they had not seen each other yet.

"Good morning," Amber replied, "Did you sleep well?"

His lips quirked and he nodded.

"Yes. And you?"

Amber hesitated.

"Not really," she answered honestly.

His eyes were understanding.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Whatever further conversation they might have had was interrupted as Jade entered the room. She had combed her brown hair, allowing it to fall loosely about her face. Her skirt and blouse had been traded for jeans and a t-shirt that read 'Sarcasm is my Second Language'. The shirt had been a gift from Emily.

She glanced at the empty chair next to Nemu and then glanced around for another. Upon finding none, she slid gracefully into the seat, her face schooled into an emotionless mask. Okita's eyes followed her movements, his smile dropping slightly. Jade's eyes flickered to him. They held gazes for a moment, then they looked away from each other.

Kondou smiled, despite the tense air in the room.

"Well! Since we're all here, I guess we can begin," he looked at Nemu, "Miakage-san, if you would begin. I believe we all are very interested in your story."

Nemu appeared very nervous. She stared at the table, her hands clasped tightly. She slowly looked up and met the gaze of each of the girls for a moment. Amber's grey eyes were stoic and unblinking. Emily's were haughty, proud, and angry. Jade's were cool and emotionless. The oldest woman took a deep breath.

"I ask that you allow me to speak uninterrupted, as it will be easier that way," she began, "My story begins over one hundred and fifty years ago, when I was cast out of my clan for refusing to marry a man of noble status."


	8. The Truth

**Here we go! The mystery unveiled! I put a lot of thought into how I was going to do this. I met up with a couple girls from my old writing guild for a birthday brunch and we discussed plot ideas (they're the ones who introduced me to Hakuouki). **

**Thanks for all the birthday wishes and reviews, they mean a lot to me!**

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_"Worthless whore!"_

_Nemu cried out as her father's hand struck her face with a ringing slap, her head snapping to the side. She fell to her knees, hoping to duck under his reach._

_"For years we have planned this engagement and now you cast it aside!" he struck her again, "Insult your suitor! Insult his honor!"_

_He raised his hand to strike once more but Nemu's brother rushed forward and caught his arm. Her father snarled at his son, his yellow gold eyes violently angry. Kaito regarded his father quite calmly._

_"Even if she has refused the wishes of the clan, father, she is still a pureblooded female."_

_Nemu's father looked at Kaito for a long moment before lowering his arm._

_"Unfortunately," he glared at his daughter, causing her to cringe back in fear._

_She could feel bruises blooming across her face. A dull pain in her stomach marked where her father had first kicked her after she refused her repulsive husband to be. The male Oni her father had betrothed her to was nearly eighty. Despite the natural good looks that all Oni possess, he was as repellant as a gutted toad. Though he had appeared to be no older than thirty, the male Oni had the air of a lecherous old man. He had leered at her, his eyes meeting her chest rather than her gaze. Though her purpose in the marriage would have been to breed Oni children, it was obvious that this man simply wanted the honor, and pleasure, that came with marrying one of the few Oni females that inhabited the world at that time._

_When he had reached out to touch her face, Nemu had slapped him._

_"Don't touch me!" she hissed._

_"Nemu! Know your place!" her father growled._

_The man had tried once again to touch her cheek. This time, Nemu sank her teeth into his hand. She knew that it would heal quickly, since that was one of the gifts the Oni populace possessed, but it would still be very painful._

_The man cried out and recoiled. He stared at her in disbelief. Then he stormed out. It had been then that Nemu's father attacked her._

_"She won't be of any use with this rebellious nature of hers, father."_

_Nemu was jerked back to the presence by her brother's voice. She looked up at him through the thin curtain of black hair that had fallen over her face._

_Kaito, who, like his father, was in his true form, regarded his sister the way one may regard an interesting insect that was found crawling near their shoe. Nemu glared back defiantly, despite the beating it could earn her. She may be beaten, but she would never be killed. The more powerful remaining Oni clans would descend on her family in a tide of death if word of the means of her demise ever reached their ears. The killing of a precious female would not be tolerated._

_"Then what do you suggest we do with the ungrateful wench? We can't kill her," her father turned his back on her, speaking as if she were not there._

_Kaito continued to observe her, meeting her glare in an unperturbed manner._

_"I would say marry her off to the head of the Kazama clan, but rumor has it that he is chasing after the missing daughter of the Yukimura. He won't be interested."_

_"A shame. He would teach this one some manners."_

_Nemu pressed her lips together. It was true that Chikage Kazama was said to have an iron hand, but she was lucky that he had set his sites on the Yukimura. This was partially because her father had made sure to spread the word of her engagement when she was still young, so as to ward off any who might attempt to take advantage of her. The eligible males had left her alone, looking for brides elsewhere._

_"Indeed," Kaito continued, lazily moving his eyes from Nemu to his father, "I think...that she should be exiled."_

_Her father was silent for a moment. Then he turned, looking at his son curiously._

_"Exiled?"_

_"Yes, let her live among those human mongrels. Perhaps losing the protection of our family name would cause her to realize her mistake," her brother's eyes flashed gleefully, though his expression did not change._

_Her father thought about this for a moment. Then he smiled a terrible smile._

_"Yes," he walked over and rested a hand on his son's shoulder, "When the time comes for you to replace me as head of the Miakage clan, you will be a strong and wise leader, my son."_

_Nemu glared at both of them as they called for the guards that would be charged with escorting her to her new life as an exile. She was not permitted to bid goodbye to her mother or any of the servants who had cared for her since she was a child. Her father and brother ignored her from the time they had made their decision to the time she left She was stripped of her beautiful kimono and jewels. A servant quickly dressed her in a simple, drab yukata. Then the two guards led her from the Miakage household._

"They were good men, those two. The preciousness of a female is drilled into all Oni from a young age. To see me treated so was painful for all the servants and guards of the house. They left me in Kyoto. Despite that it was obviously my father's intent that I be left with nothing, they managed to slip me enough money to buy a few meals. Then they disappeared and I never saw them again," Nemu's eyes were closed as she spoke, reliving memories from so long ago, "The money ran out quickly, and I was left scavenging on the streets, avoiding men with ill intent, and steadily nearing death. Even with our accelerated healing, an Oni can still starve to death. The process is longer and slower than it would be for humans. Our bodies constantly attempt to regenerate, despite the inevitable. Fortunately, I was saved by the kindness of another."

_Nemu lay in an alleyway, skeletal and pale. Her beautiful, porcelain skin was covered in grime from weeks of living on the streets. Her yukata, the same one she had been dropped off in, was torn and dirty. Her hair, matted with all sorts of disgusting elements, partially hid her face as she stared up at the sky. She was dying. Rather than sell her body like so many others, she had attempted to scrounge through garbage and sometimes steal from market stands. It was not enough to sustain her, though, and she grew weaker by the day. She lost the energy to scrounge and steal. All that was left was for her to die alone and unwanted by anyone._

_The midday sun was blocked by the building she lay next to. People passed by on the street at the mouth of the alley, taking no notice of the woman within. They were much too busy going about their daily lives to offer aid to a dying beggar like her. Dimly, she wondered if her body would be discovered directly after she died. Would she begin to decay, a stench rising from the alley until someone was forced to remove her, or would her Oni powers of regeneration cause her to remain as she was?_

_A shadow fell across her as she lay in the dirt of the alley, her eyes glazed, her ribs protruding grotesquely. Her breath hitched slightly and her eyes shifted, a spark of fear entering them. This was the end. Someone was going to take advantage of her helpless state and kill her, perhaps dragging her to a less public place and subjecting her to their own carnal desires before they finished her. At least, that is what she thought._

_The sight that met her eyes was not that of a leering man, however. Instead, she found herself looking into the wide, innocent brown eyes of a child. The child blinked at her curiously, kneeling down and reaching out with one small hand to push Nemu's matted hair back from her face._

_"Hey," the child said, "Your eyes are pretty."_

_Under normal circumstances, Nemu would have smiled. Of course the child was entranced by the odd color of her eyes. They were a dark, inky blue, almost black but not quite. As it was, she merely stared at the child's small face. She could not be older than six. Her hair was a lovely dark brown, tied up elegantly behind her head. She wore a small, blue kimono, tied at the waist with a purple sash. Her brow furrowed in concern when Nemu did not answer._

_"Are you okay?" she asked, pushing Nemu's hair back further, "Are you sick?"_

_Nemu could not find the will to reply._

_"Jun!"_

_The child looked toward the mouth of the alley, where a female voice was calling._

_"Jun! Where are you?"_

_"Down here, mommy!"_

_A woman wearing a pink yukata rounded the corner, her face slightly panicked. Directly behind her was another woman and her daughter, who appeared to be older than the one who had found Nemu._

_"Jun!"_

_The first woman knelt down next to her daughter, pulling her into a hug._

_"Oh, thank kami, I was so worried! You shouldn't wander off like that!"_

_"But, mommy, I saw this lady," Jun replied, extracting herself from her mother's arms, "See," she gingerly touched Nemu's forehead, "She has pretty eyes."_

_Jun's mother looked down at Nemu, observing the dying woman. She was obviously repulsed by the state she was in, but her expression was mixed with pity._

_"Yes, she does."_

_The second child came forward. This girl appeared to be a few years older than Jun. She squatted down, wearing her own pink Kimono. She looked at Nemu seriously for a moment. Then she turned and looked at her own mother._

_"Can we keep her?"_

_The second girl's mother scolded her._

_"Emiko, this isn't a joke. And no, we cannot keep her. But we can help her," she looked at Jun's mother, "Mai?"_

_Mai nodded, her eyes not leaving Nemu._

_"My husband's business is going well enough to care for her."_

_"You won't have to do it alone. My husband's tea shop is also doing well. We can help each other and get her back on her feet."_

"They took me back to Mai's home. I found out that Emiko's mother's name was Riko. They were both young, their daughters were their first and only children. They were joined in their efforts by another business man's wife, Miko. She had her own daughter, Airi, who was the youngest of the three children. As they questioned me about where I had come from and how I had ended up in my current state, I told them almost the whole truth, omitting only the fact that I was an Oni, because it would be unbelievable. Over the time that I spent with them, I quickly befriended all three women, and came to love each of the children dearly. Their families assisted me in getting settled in a new home with a job at Mai's husband's business. I lived in Kyoto quite happily for nearly five years. Then I moved to Edo, promising to keep in contact with my friends. My time in Edo was fairly uneventful. I procured a job in a flower shop, making just enough money to live."

Nemu paused, giving everyone in the room the feeling that whatever she was about to say was very important.

"It was while in Edo that I began to pick up on the movements of the Oni clans. Kazama, of course, was still on his hunt. My own clan, the Miakage, had lost their head, the man I once called father. My brother was leading the family. I did not think much of this transition in power at the time, but my carelessness came back to haunt me. As a precaution, I returned to Kyoto, knowing that, should my brother take interest in me, he would trace my trail to my friends, who had remained faithfully correspondent. I hoped that by going back, I could protect the people I held dear if need should arise."

_Nemu stood before the storefront, looking at the door. It had been seven years since she left Kyoto for Edo. In that time, she had, of course, visited her own home on very special occasions, but she had never stayed longer than a few weeks at most. She smiled at the prospect of once again being able to spend time with the women who had saved her from not only death, but the isolation her family had intended for her. Despite her reasons for returning, she was glad to be back._

_She stepped inside the shop._

_It had not changed since her last visit, nearly a year and a half earlier. She quickly sought out the section of the shop that she knew Mai's husband would be in. When he caught sight of her, he stood, smiling._

_"Welcome back, Nemu-san," he said, bowing, "It has been too long."_

_Nemu smiled, bowing in return._

_"Indeed it has."_

_Mai's husband looked her over._

_"I see the years have been kind to you. You don't seem to have aged at all since you moved to Edo!" he commented_

_Nemu felt a flash of uneasiness but hid it with another smile._

_"It's a gift."_

_He laughed._

_"It must be. Mai is upstairs, by the way, since I'm assuming you came to see her. I'd show you the way, but I can't leave the shop unmanned," his face clouded, "There are some rogue samurai who have been extorting money from the local shopkeepers. I can't risk being gone and having them come in to tear the place up."_

_Nemu nodded._

_"I understand. I am sorry that this trouble looms over you."_

_He sighed._

_"Hopefully someone will come to defend us against them. There's been word of a group that came into town recently. I've heard that they've been fighting the rogues."_

_Nemu's eyebrows rose._

_"How noble."_

_"Maybe. Or maybe they're another, even worse group that's hoping to run the other group out for their own gain," he shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."_

_Nemu nodded._

_"Thank you for telling me. I'll keep it in mind."_

_With that, she went upstairs to speak with Mai._

_She found both mother and daughter working to prepare a meal. She knocked politely and waited to be noticed. Mai looked up. As soon as she laid eyes on Nemu, her face broke into a smile and she hurried over to embrace her._

_"You didn't write ahead!" she cried._

_"I wanted to surprise you," returning the embrace._

_"I'm surprised," Mai pulled back slightly, grinning, "Are you just coming to visit?"_

_Nemu shook her head._

_"I'm moving back to Kyoto. I was starting to feel lonely in Edo and decided to move back here."_

_Jun turned from where she was stirring a pot, looking over her shoulder. Nemu smiled. The young woman was eighteen, as beautiful and strong willed as her mother. She smiled back, her brown eyes dancing._

_"Hello, auntie," she said, "I'm glad you're back."_

_"So am I, Jun."_

_Miko and Riko were overjoyed by Nemu's return as well, though Miko was a bit more reserved in her celebration. She was the serious one of the trio of business men's wives, always the level headed voice of reason. Riko was a bit more outgoing than the other two, and had suggested that they celebrate Nemu's return with a large dinner between the three families. Nemu was honored by their efforts to welcome her back to Kyoto._

"Word of my brother died down and I believed that the threat would pass. I decided to stay in Kyoto until it became suspicious that I was not aging. I resumed work at one of my friends' shops and once again found myself happily immersed in a loving family who was not related to me by blood. During that time, the Shinsengumi made their name known in Kyoto. The girls were warned to avoid them. Emiko, who was the most hot headed and rebellious, took this as a personal challenge. Jun tagged along, thinking to keep her out of trouble, though that was indeed a monumental task."

_Nemu sat in her kitchen, reading a book silently. Voices outside caused her to look up. She rose to see who might be calling on her so late in the evening. Upon checking the front door, she saw Emiko and Jun. The former was grinning broadly while the latter looked at her in a long suffering manner._

_"Good evening, girls," Nemu smiled._

_"Nemu! I met a man!" Emiko squealed, grabbing the older woman's hands in her own, "I have to tell you all about him!_

_Nemu laughed._

_"Alright, alright, come inside."_

_The two girls followed her inside. They kneeled with her at the low kitchen table. Emiko grinned like a fool the entire time. Nemu looked at the young woman as soon as she was seated. Emiko was twenty one and yet unmarried. She had the luxery of attempting to find a man whom she could love, and enter into marriage because of the desires of her own heart. She had been looking hard, for she desperately wanted romance, but none of the men she came across seemed to be the right one._

_"Now, about this man..." Nemu began._

_Emiko immedietely jumped in._

_"Oh, Nemu! He's wonderful! We were out in town today and a group of those rogues approached us, making lewd remarks about us. I was scared to do anything because there were so many of them. Then, all of the sudden, he was there. He and his friend stepped between us and the rogues and frightened them off. Then he asked if we were alright," her eyes became slightly dreamy, "He was so handsome. Tall and strong with those beautiful golden eyes."_

_"He is a captain of the Shinsengumi, Emiko," Jun put in, "Your mother had forbidden you to even be near them and you're acting smitten!"_

_Emiko looked at Jun, her eyes flashing._

_"You talked with them too, Jun! They aren't like everyone says they are. If they were, they wouldn't have saved us. He's a good man, and I don't see why I can't like him."_

"Needless to say, I was concerned for them. As the months passed, Emiko and this man continued seeing each other. I met him once and confirmed that he was trustworthy. I then took on the responsibility of backing her when her parents became privy to this information. Jun, despite her earlier distrust of the Shinsengumi, also found herself falling in love. The third girl, Airi, was quick to follow. They seemed quite happy in their growing relationships with these men, and so, I was happy for them. However, as time went on, Kazama began to attack the Shinsengumi in search of his missing bride. The girls' relationships with them drew his attention and he quickly traced them back to me."

_Nemu rounded the corner into her sitting room and found a tall, blonde man waiting for her. Her heart stopped as she took in his proud face, his cold, red eyes. He observed her in a bored fashion._

_"So, it is you. I had a hunch that this is where you ended up."_

_Nemu quickly gathered herself. She refused to fear this man. After all, she too was an Oni._

_"I doubt you came by to exchange pleasantries, Chikage Kazama. What is your business with me?"_

_His eyebrows rose very slightly._

_"Very well, since you are so eager to know my intentions, I will tell you. I want you to sever ties with the humans you have come to call 'friends'."_

_Nemu stiffened._

_"Why?"_

_His red eyes glittered as her regarded her steadily._

_"For two reasons. The foremost being that what I am about to do will cause the young women great emotional turmoil. The shinsengumi has pushed my patience to the limit. I have decided to exact revenge for their withholding of my bride."_

_Nemu's eyes narrowed. She was surprised to hear that the Yukimura girl had hidden among the shinsengumi, but that matter did not concern her. What did concern her was that Kazama had just made an indirect threat against her beloved family_

_"What do you plan to do?" she asked._

_His eyes glinted maliciously._

_"I will curse the Shinsengumi with my own power. When the time comes that each of them falls in the war that is brewing, they will not have the eternal sleep that follows death. They will simply sleep until a time when the way of the sword is dead and all that they have fought for is forgotten, trampled upon by the future generations," his lips twitched upward into a cruel smile, "And when they awaken in such a time that everything they have ever lived for is meaningless, they will never be able to escape. They will never die a hero's death. For no weapon will be able to kill them. They will be undead, and therefore ageless. They will not be able to die at a happy old age. They will not be able to commit seppaku for honor's sake. Those who dared to mock the Oni by becoming Rasetsu will be forced to bear the consequences by retaining their alternate form, never able to be rid of it. That is my revenge."_

_Nemu's eyes had gone wide as she listened to him. A single tear ran down her cheek at the cruelty of his curse._

_"You are a monster."_

_His smile vanished, replaced by his usual frown._

_"Your time among the humans has made you soft," he scoffed, closing his eyes, "But you are still an honored female, so I shall still give you my second reason. Your brother has gotten word of your friendship and set his sights on them. The parent are old enough that he will leave them be. The daughters, however," he opened his eyes and regarded her, "He will kill them in the worst ways imaginable."_

_Nemu felt shock course through her. She sank to her knees, her tears flowing freely now. Kazama looked at her with an expression caught between contempt and pity. He moved to the door._

_"What you do with what I've told you is up to you. I do not care. I only told you because I resent your family for casting you out," he glanced back at her, "You would have made a fine bride before you were corrupted by the humans."_

_Then he was gone._

_Nemu bent so that her forehead was pressed against the floor, her tears falling to wet the wood._

_"You bastards..."_

"I began to see the signs of my brother's movements. He was becoming restless and would soon strike," Nemu closed her eyes, sighing, "So I revealed my true form to my old friends. They were shocked, fearful at first, but they did not cast me aside. After all, I was still the woman they had known for so many years. I told them of my brother's plan, convincing them that the best choice would be to allow me to use my power to send their daughters somewhere safe. After much argument, they agreed. I made preparations quickly, knowing that my brother would soon realize my plan. I would use my own power to transport the girls somewhere safe. What I did not realize was that my 'spell' would work better than I had ever imagined. I was still young in the standards of my people. I had not trained with my power as Kazama had, and preferred not to use it. These were both factors when things went wrong. Instead of simply being sent to a safe place, the three were catapulted through time. I failed utterly, making retrieval impossible," a tear leaked from her closed eyes, "I have never forgiven myself for that.

"Upon realizing what had happened, I made a new plan. I would wait for them to reappear in the future time. Due to my regenerative powers, I lived long after the death of my friends. I worked, saved and invested, leaving myself with a rather large sum of money that I stored away for emergency use. For over a century I wandered the globe, running from my brother until he once again faded into anonymity. I battled Kazama numerous times, attempting to kill him in return for his monstrous curse. I, of course, never won, but neither did he kill me. He too disappeared a few decades after the war, grieved that his bride had been caught up in his curse as well.

"In the late nineteen hundreds, I moved to America, knowing that this was the most probable place for my failed 'spell' to send the children of my beloved friends. I was correct. In the nineties, they appeared. They were not, however, the women I had last seen, but children. Left with no memory of anything but their language and their names, they were quickly taken in as orphans and renamed. No longer were they Jun, Emiko, and Airi. Instead, their American care takers gave them the names Jade, Emily, and Amber. Heartbroken by my compounded failure and desperate to right it, I made sure to place myself in your paths as you grew older," she looked at each of the girls, "It was my duty to care for you after taking you from your birth mothers. A duty that I am still attempting to carry out.

"When I heard that you were regaining memories of your original lives, I became worried. After all, I had heard rumors that the Shinsengumi were reawakening and if the two groups met, it would draw dangerous attention again, so I desperately attempted to keep you apart. Unfortunately, this proved to be impossible," she looked at Kondou, "That is my story."


	9. Reclaimed

**Greetings, my lovelies~! I apologize for the wait, but my dreams have been filled with Anatomy and Physiology lately and I have had no muse for writing. I finally managed to get going on this chapter, though! Sorry if it seems short. Please read and review~!**

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The silence that fell over the table was long and profound. It lay like a heavy wool over the occupants of the room. No one made eye contact, for they were all much too wrapped up in their own thoughts. Nemu stared at the table cloth, waiting for some sort of response to her words.

The response came in the form of Jade slowly pushing her chair back. She rose on shaky legs.

"Excuse me," she said, her eyes brimming with tears.

She quickly fled the room, feeling the weight of numerous stares on her back. The heaviest of them was that given by a pair of green, catlike eyes. She ran across the floor to the stairs, hurrying to get to her room before her tears came. She did not make it further than halfway up the stairs before she broke into soft sobs, slowly lowering herself onto one of the steps.

Emily's eyes tightened when the sound of Jade's quite crying floated back into the room. She stood and left the room, going through the kitchen and out the back door.

Amber stared at her hands, which were folded in her lap. She was not sure what to do. She was upset by what she had just heard. She was angry at Nemu for keeping this a secret. She was confused by her underlying feelings for Saito. She was saddened by the realization that she would never meet her birth parents. She had always harbored the hope that she would one day be reunited with her family. Now, however, that dream was crushed. After all, how could she meet her parents if they had died a century ago?

As Nemu spoke, Amber had felt memories rising to the forefront of her mind. She remembered her solemn mother talking with her jovial father. She remembered taking walks through the streets of Kyoto. She remembered being dragged along with Jun and Emiko on their misadventures. Other, less distinct memories appeared. Flashes of her parent's faces, sunny days, stormy nights, and times spent laughing with her friends sprinted across her mind. Most of all, though, she remembered Saito. She clearly recalled the first time he had given her his soft smile, the gentle caress of his calloused hand on her face, the way he murmured her name when there was no one else to hear, and the first time he had pressed his lips to her forehead, beneath the sakura tree. So long ago, they had been so very close.

Amber's hands trembled in her lap and she felt tears welling in her eyes. She did not want to get up and draw attention to herself, but neither did she want to break down crying in front of these people. Her shoulders shook very slightly as she attempted to hold back her tears.

A slender, masculine hand came to rest over hers, halting the trembling.

Her eyes moved slowly up his arm, which was covered in a long, black sleeve. She saw the slight bulge of his bicep and deltoid, the skin of his pale neck, and, finally, she met his dark eyes. Saito looked at her seriously, his expression solemn. His hand briefly squeezed hers.

"Are you alright?" his lips barely moved as he spoke in a murmur.

She began to nod, but then she paused. She bit her lip and shook her head, the tears building in her eyes. She despised crying, especially in front of others, mainly because she thought it made her seem weak.

Saito's brows drew together ever so slightly. He stood, taking her hands in his and drawing her to her feet. He led her from the dining room, his hand wrapped tightly around hers. She felt the other occupants in the room watching them. Okita smirked at their clasped hands, but the expression quickly vanished when another soft sob floated in from the stairs. Harada stared toward the kitchen, frowning slightly, no doubt thinking of Emily. Shinipachi gave a half hearted grin. It seemed even he, in all his boisterousness, felt the weight of the information that had just been delivered. Heisuke shifted uncomfortably, looking as if he wanted to go to Jade, but his eyes were nervously darting to Okita as he no doubt remembered the older man's threat to kill him if he touched her. It was obvious from his expression that he hated to leave the crying girl alone. Kondou watched Saito and Amber leave with a saddened expression. Nemu looked miserable as she stared at their joined hands.

All of this Amber took in with a glance. She turned her head back toward Saito as she passed through the doorway, into the main room. In the center, on the open stairwell, sat Jade, her face buried in her hands, her body quivering. Saito glanced up at her and his frown deepened. His pace quickened as he pulled Amber behind him, obviously feeling that Jade deserved privacy. Amber looked up at her friend, understanding how she felt. Jade had the closest relationship with Nemu and was no doubt feeling the sting of betrayal much more than Amber herself. The dark haired girl's tears began to spill over, the sight of Jade acting as the last blow to her wavering control.

She lost sight of the older girl as Saito dragged her into the sitting room. He released her hand just long enough to close the door. Morning light streamed through the curtains. Dimly, Amber realized that none of them had even had breakfast yet. This thought was blown away in a storm of returning mixed emotion. She quickly turned away from Saito as the tears spilled over, running down her cheeks in hot, wet trails. She wrapped her arms around herself, her fingers digging into her flesh. Saito paused, his hand still on the door. Then, slowly, as if he were approaching a wounded animal, he moved to her side and gripped her shoulders. He gently turned her around. She opened her eyes to look up at him. Her lip trembled as she tried not to completely break down.

Saito looked at her tenderly, more comfortable with showing affection since it was just the two of them. His left hand moved from her shoulder to her cheek and he gently wiped her tears away. She was highly embarrassed that he was seeing her in such an emotional state. All embarrassment vanished, however, when he pulled her into his arms. His left hand came up to gently stroke her hair as his other arm wrapped around her waist. She pressed her forehead against his shoulder and clutched at his black shirt, allowing herself to be comforted by his embrace. He rested his cheek against her hair, closing his eyes.

"It's alright," he murmured.

Amber made a small, choked noise. He was not saying that her situation was alright, that Nemu's keeping secrets was alright, but that it was alright for her to cry. He was telling her that, despite all that had happened, his death and her apparent catapult into the future, his feelings remained unchanged. This made Amber cry even harder. The previous day she had not even known his name, now, she was willing to let him hold her and comfort her. Why? Because she remembered him and trusted him. She knew that he cared for her, perhaps even loved her. It was an odd feeling, having the memories of Airi mixed in with her memories as Amber. However, as Airi's memories returned to her, her feelings for Saito grew in intensity. She relaxed into his embrace, her confused emotions draining from her in the form of tears.

When she reached the point of coherency, she began to speak.

"You...you died," she whispered.

Saito opened his eyes slowly, looking over her head at the opposite wall.

"Yes," he replied, just as softly.

A fresh wave of tears fell down her cheeks.

"D-did you know?" she asked, "About the c-curse?"

He continued to gently stroke her hair, his fingertips gently dragging through it.

"No, not at the time. The last thing I remember is dying in battle. The next thing I knew, I woke up, lying on a bed, my wounds healed without any sign of their having been there. I don't know who retrieved me or how long I had been there, but I found my weapons and a set of clothes laid next to me."

Amber silently took this in.

"I'm sorry, Hajime-kun" she said softly, "I feel like I abandoned you."

Hajime pulled back slightly and looked down at her.

"No. If anyone is to take the blame, it should be me. I fought my hardest in that battle. I wanted to return you, but I failed. I fell," his lips quirked in one of his small smiles, "But none of that matters now, Amber. We're together, against all odds."

Amber looked at him with wide eyes, her tears finally spent. Then she gave him a hesitant smile in return.

"Yes. We have a second chance."

* * *

Emily sat dejectedly on a branch of one of the numerous trees in the back yard, her blue eyes focused on the leaves that had just begun to change in color. She stared without seeing, her emotions too volatile at the moment for her to focus on anything else. She felt betrayed and angry. She wondered how Nemu could have kept secrets from them like that. They were supposed to be like a family, and yet the woman had hidden their pasts from them. She scowled down at the ground. It made her especially angry that, though Nemu had known what was going on with Jade's dreams, Ambers visions, and even Emily's fascination with the color dark gold, she had remained silent, and would have done so for an even longer period of time if the men had not appeared.

"Tch," she crossed her arms over her chest, muttering under her breath.

The air around her was still warm as summer clung to the world, uneager to release its hold and allow the crispness of autumn replace it. It was a nice day, the sun was already bright as it continued its climb from the eastern horizon. Emily sighed as she sat straddling the thick branch, nearly fifteen feet off the ground. She unconsciously kicked her feet as she looked up into the higher bows of the tree.

The back door suddenly swung open, causing her eyes to dart toward it. Harada stepped outside. He frowned slightly as his eyes scanned the yard, looking for her. The movement she created in the tree caught his attention and he smiled slightly, no doubt remembering that it had always been Emiko's habit to climb up something when she wanted to be alone. He walked to the base of the tree and looked up at her, his golden eyes sparkling in amusement.

Emily stared back, feeling her cheeks involuntarily warm. She had regained many of her memories during Nemu's tale, and was embarrassed that the older woman had seen fit to include Emily's, Emiko's, feelings for Harada. She knew it did not really matter, since they had indeed been courting before the..._incident_, but she still did not want him to hear that she had almost swooned over him the day they met.

"Well, are you going to come out of that tree so we can talk?" he asked, cocking his head to the side so that his reddish hair fell partially over his face

Her cheeks darkened further and she looked away, trying not to think about how utterly gorgeous she found him to be. His golden eyes and gentle smile were so inviting, telling her that if she just came down, he would hold her and tell her everything was alright, just like he used to. However, Emily was too proud to allow him to see her in a distraught state, no matter their history together.

"No," she muttered, pulling her feet up and hugging her legs to her chest, easily sitting on the thick branch.

His smile faded somewhat and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Do I have to come up and get you?" he asked, his voice still pleasant but carrying a threatening undercurrent.

She looked back down at him, her blue eyes calculating.

"You wouldn't," she said after a pause.

He sighed, closing his eyes. When they opened again, they were slightly predatory. She felt her own eyes widen in response. She had worried him, was worrying him. He wanted to help her, and she was refusing him. She remembered that while he had always been gentle with her, there were times when he had been firm, stubbornly forcing her to accept his help. They were both of strong personalities, and, every so often, their personalities clashed.

"I will," he reached up and gripped the lowest branch.

Emily winced slightly. If she had managed to climb the tree so easily, it would be a small feat for Harada. He was more athletic than she, and stronger. She quickly looked for some sort of escape. She did not want to tell him how she felt. She did not want the man she had once fallen in love with to witness her weakness.

She waited until he had swung into the tree before suddenly moving, dropping from her branch and landing on the ground in a crouch. Once she had regained her footing, she took off running back toward her house. She planned to sprint for her room and lock herself inside until he left her alone. She realized however, as she heard him make an exasperated noise, that she had miscalculated. Harada was much faster than she. In her past life she had never attempted to run from him, partially because it was impossible to do so while wearing a kimono or yukata. Now, even though she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, she was still not up to the task.

She was three quarters of the way to the door when his large hand locked around her wrist, jerking her to a stop. She was thrown off balance for a moment. As soon as it returned she began to try to tug her wrist from his grasp, planting her feet in the grass and attempting to throw her body weight into the pull. His expression was caught between annoyance and amusement as he looked down at her, his fingers still gripping her wrist firmly. He yanked on her wrist, pulling her toward him before using the momentum to easily pick her up and throw her over his shoulder. She froze for a moment, any chance of escape effectively cut off. She then made and outraged noise and pounded one fist against his back.

"Sano! Put me down!" she cried, not seeming to notice that she had dropped any honorifics and begun calling him by his first name.

Sano held her easily, smirking slightly.

"Not until you promise not to run off."

The curtains at the kitchen window were pulled aside and Heisuke's and Shinipachi's faces appeared. They had undoubtedly been drawn by the commotion. As soon as they saw what was going on, they burst into laughter. Sanosuke shot them a glare and they retreated just as quickly as they had come, still snickering.

Emily continued struggling for a few minutes more but was unable to escape. Finally, she went limp.

"Finished?" Sano asked.

She sighed turning her head to look at him.

"Yes."

Gently, he set her down on her feet, steadying her by placing his large hands on her shoulders. His wise gold eyes looked down at her with concern. She looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze. He gave a small sigh, bringing his hand up to touch her cheek. She shivered slightly as his fingertips brushed over her skin.

"Emily," he murmured.

In that murmuring of her name was a question, one that Sano would never truly ask because it would make her feel weak. _What can I do to help you?_

Emily looked up at him, all childishness on her part and playfulness on his gone. The seriousness of the moment struck her again.

Hesitantly, Emily wrapped her arms around him.

"Just...don't leave me again," she said softly, resting her head against his chest, finally relenting and displaying a rare moment of fragility, "I remembered almost everything, Sano. I don't want to lose you again."

She pushed aside her feelings of betrayal and confusion. As cliché as it sounded, their relationship was the one thing she was sure of at present. She remembered the love they had shared, still shared. It was ironic. She had always been the most boy-crazy of the trio of friends, but even she had never been able to hold down a boyfriend for more than a couple weeks at most. It had never felt right. Now she knew why. Her heart belonged to Sanosuke Harada, and it always had.

Sano's strong arms wrapped around her tightly. She felt him rest his chin on top of her head.

"You won't. I'll always be right here for you."

Emily closed her eyes, knowing that this was not just an empty promise. If Kazama's curse had done its work, Sano would not age or be killed in combat. He would always be there, just as he was. It was a bittersweet thing, knowing this. Emily shook the thought off. They would make the most of it and face their troubles as they came. After all, he obviously still loved her and she felt much the same. They were both strong and stubborn, and it would be difficult to tear such a pair apart.


	10. Transversing Time

**So this chapter is short and mushy, but it's what I wanted. I don't really have more to say because, well, one of my best friends is missing and it's really hitting me hard. Pray for her family and friends, please.**

* * *

Jade coughed lightly, her throat feeling congested from the amount of sniffling she had done. She stared at the step beneath her feet with red, puffy eyes, her body trembling slightly. Her long brown hair hung loosely about her face, covering her shoulders and upper back. She gave another soft hiccup, her emotional turmoil having not quite finished running its course. Jade raised one hand and wiped at her eyes and cheeks for the umpteenth time. How Souji would tease her later. He would not dare do it now, while she was still hurting, but when it had passed and everything had settled down, he would tease her mercilessly. He always did.

At first Jade had wondered why he did not follow her. Then she had remembered: Souji hated to see her cry. In one of his rare, vulnerable moments he had confessed to Jun that when she cried, it made him feel powerless. Even if he could kill the person or thing that was the cause, the damage had already been done. He had decided it was best for both of them to allow her to cry and then he would comfort her when she was more coherent.

She stared down at the doorway of the dining room, knowing that he would emerge as soon as he was sure her sobs had died down. She breathed deeply to quiet the hiccupping. As she had thought, when the sounds of crying had disappeared, Souji was suddenly at her side, as if he had used magic to appear. He murmured softly to her, not at all the sarcastic killer he usually was. Instead he was sweet and gentle. He took her hand and drew her up to her feet before leading her upstairs and into her bedroom, away from the prying eyes and ears of the others.

As he turned away from the door, his green eyes moving to her face, she remembered the first time she had seen those eyes.

_Jun stood in front her parents' shop, observing those who bustled up and down the street before her. She smiled, enjoying simply not having anything better to do than watch those around her as they went about their daily lives. Men and women wearing a spectrum of colors crowded about and jostled past one another. Smells of food and sake wafted out of restaurants up and down the street. An old woman sat at the mouth of an alleyway with a stand of fruit, selling it for a low price. A few people stopped to buy from her, glad for the treat to ward against the summer heat. Jun smiled and decided to go and buy a piece, as the natural sweetness of fruit could never go awry. She went back inside to retrieve some coins before returning and making her way across the street._

_The old woman looked up and, recognizing her, smiled happily. She reached across to a section of the stand that was dominated by nashi, which she knew that Jun enjoyed immensely. However, as she reached, her body turned so that she was facing down the street, she froze, having caught sight of something. Her smile faded into an almost fearful expression._

_Jun frowned at this and turned her head to see what had frightened the old woman so. Her eyes widened. The people who had previously been crushing against each other in the street, had all shifted to the sides, pressing against the walls of the buildings and walking with their heads down and their eyes on the ground. The cause of the sudden fear that had settled over the citizens was a squad of blue cloaked men who were walking in formation. Jun, despite being in the middle of the street, felt her body seize._

_Shinsengumi!_

_Her hand clenched around the coins so that the metal was pressed hard into her skin. Her parents had warned her not to be caught out alone with the men of the shinsengumi nearby, as they were not to be trusted. She had been told by the women of their neighborhood never to draw their attention. Briefly, the thought of fleeing back into her father's shop entered her mind. However, it was too late, the man at the forefront of the group had pinioned her with his gaze, a slow smirk stretching across his lips._

_Jun stared at him. He was tall and proud and bore himself with an almost feline grace. His green eyes danced with an almost cruel mirth at the apparent fear in her own._

_"Tsukino-san!" the old woman at the fruit stand hissed loudly Jun's surname in an attempt to break her reverie._

_Jun looked toward her, her eyes still wide. When she faced the man again, he stood only a foot away, looking down at her. He appeared to be about her age, but something told her that he was much more experienced in the ways of the world than she. He gave her a crooked smile._

_"You're in our way...Tsukino-san, was it?"_

_Jun swallowed dryly._

_"H-hai."_

_His smile widened._

_"Ma, ma, you seemed frightened. Are we really so scary?"_

_Jun's eyes flickered to the men standing behind him. Indeed, they did not look as frightening as their captain. They seemed no more dangerous than her own father. A few even smiled at her reassuringly. Their captain, however, was a different matter. There was something about him that made her wish that he would look anywhere but at her with those enchanting eyes of his. He reminded her of a wolf, beautiful, graceful, and deadly._

_"No, just you," she spoke without thinking._

_A few of the men chuckled as she brought her hand up to her mouth, a slightly horrified expression crossing her face. The captain's eyes widened momentarily. Then he laughed._

_"Very observant," he closed one eye, winking at her, "I'm the scariest of them all."_

_She blushed slightly at this, wondering at his apparent change in attitude._

_"Okita-san, we should move on," one of the men said._

_Okita, still smiling, raised a hand in acknowledgement. His gaze lingered on Jun for a moment, his smile not reaching his eyes. He observed her like one may observe an interesting puzzle. Then he moved to walk past her. His arm brushed hers and he spoke softly._

_"Nice meeting you, Tsukino-chan."_

Souji leaned back against the door, looking at her with a soft but still slightly guarded expression. As he stood there in the same dress slacks and white shirt from the previous night, his tie missing, his sleeves pulled up over lean, muscular arms, Jade could not help thinking, as she had the day she met him that he was beautiful. He shook his hair out of his face, his gaze never leaving her.

"...Are you alright?"

Jade nodded.

"I was just...shocked."

He remained silent as she wiped her eyes. The he looked up at the ceiling, as though pondering something.

"It would upset you if I killed her."

Jade stared at him for a moment, not sure if he was serious. Then she laughed, the sound slightly distorted by the congestion of her throat.

"Yes it would."

He heaved a sigh, wearing an almost comical expression of long suffering, his eyes falling closed.

"Yare, yare, you're making this difficult for me."

She smiled looking down. This had always been his way of cheering her up. He would tease her, make her laugh, and, hopefully, cause her to forget her troubles. He opened one eye to look at her, his lips quirking upward. Then he pushed himself off the wall and took a step closer. Jade tilted her head back to look up at him. There was a moment of silence between them. Then, hesitantly, she raised a hand and placed it on his chest.

"Do you still...?"

He smiled softly and shook his head.

"It seems death really is the cure-all."

Jade's brows drew together.

"Souji, that isn't funny."

He gave a soft chuckle, his hand coming up to brush her hair back from where it had fallen in her face. She blushed as his fingertips touched her skin.

"Did you miss me, Jade-chan?"

She nodded.

"Yes...very much."

He paused for a moment.

"I was thinking about you...that night."

Jade's eyes widened.

Souji looked down at her with a melancholy expression.

"I would never have made it back to you anyway, Jade-chan. Even if I hadn't turned to dust after being wounded so many times. The tuberculosis would have killed me afterwards."

Jade flinched slightly when he spoke of his death. She had always disliked it when Souji spoke so easily of death and blood and horrific wounds. At first, she had been rather cross with him. Then she had realized that it was simply a part of who he was. Speaking of such things did not affect him the way it affected others, for whatever reason.

A thought stuck her and she frowned suddenly.

"Souji..." she said slowly, "If you turned to dust...how did you reform?"

He blinked at the question. Then he shrugged.

"It's probably because of that damn Kazama's curse," his eyes narrowed dangerously as his lips curled in a sneer, "I'll be the one to kill him for sure."

Jade bit her lip slightly, looking at the floor. Her rampant emotions had calmed by this point, allowing her to focus on the present as well as the past she had with Souji. They had often talked of serious things, though he attempted to make light of them. Things like death, battle, and, once, marriage. Souji had confessed that, were he not a captain of the shinsengumi, and were he not dying of an incurable illness, he would seek her hand. This, of course, had sent Jun into a bout of stuttering and blushing that had caused Souji to laugh. Such had been the strength of their affection. The affection that was renewed between them, though lacking in the strength it once had. Jade supposed that a century of separation could to that to a relationship.

"If you face him," she said softly, "Be careful."

Souji chuckled. He took her chin in the crook of his finger and raised her face.

"I will. I won't leave you again, Jade."

She smiled then, an inexplicable happiness flooding through her. She and Souji truly had something that very few others possessed. They had a love that transversed time.


	11. The Enemy

**In this chapter, the plot is officially kicked off. I was so excited writing this. I want to thank all of my reviewers. If I named each of you individually, I would take up like half a page so I'll just say if you have reviewed this story, you are awesome. If I lack inspiration, all I have to do is go back and reread your reviews and suddenly, my muse returns. I also want to thank those who have expressed concern about my missing friend. It means a lot to me. Please, R&R! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

The kitchen was a flurry of activity as brunch was prepared. It was too late in the morning for breakfast, but, after such a time of emotional stress, everyone was too hungry to wait until lunch. Nemu and Kondou had disappeared into the sitting room after Hajime and Amber vacated it. The quiet couple had made their way back to the dining room, where Heisuke and Shinipachi immediately complained that they were hungry. Emily had marched in a few minutes later with Harada trailing behind her and announced that she was going to make brunch and Amber was going to help. Shinipachi and Heisuke had offered as well, but, despite the fact that the men had been reawakened a number of months earlier, only Hajime could be trusted with the stove. The others had to content themselves with fetching ingredients and other more mundane tasks.

Brunch preparations were well underway when Souji and Jade finally came downstairs. They walked side by side, his arm about her waist. She was blushing as he teased her with a smirk, speaking in a low voice so that only she could hear. As they entered the kitchen, all activity ceased and the couple was subjected to numerous grins and stares. Even Hajime smiled slightly. Shinipachi and Heisuke snickered and nudged each other. Emily rolled her eyes at the public display of affection, though her lips were turned up in a smile. Amber's eyes moved from Souji's arm around Jade's waist to peek at Hajime, who stood at the stove, cooking pancakes. Then she blushed and refocused on mixing the batter for the pancakes.

Souji gave them all an annoyed look.

"Nani?" he demanded.

Shinipachi answered in japanese, so quickly that Jade could not understand it. Souji's eye twitched. Then he laughed. His arm around her tightened, pulling her closer. He replied, insinuating that the other man was jealous that he did not have his own beautiful woman. Jade's face turned beet red. Emily muttered something about possessive boyfriends as she opened the lid of the pan containing the bacon. Shinipachi waved off Souji's comment and flexed his rather impressive arms, commenting that after the American women saw his superior prowess, they would be falling over each other to get to him. Sano laughed and turned it into an unconvincing cough, drawing a glare from his friend.

Emily shooed Saito out of her way as she retrieved a tray of biscuits from the oven. She set them on a towel on the counter. Sano reached around her, as though to swipe one off the tray. She slapped his hand away.

"Don't be a biscuit thief like Amber!"

Amber giggled slightly, causing Hajime to smile.

"Biscuit thief?" he asked in an undertone.

"I'll tell you later."

Brunch was finished with many more bouts of laughter and good natured verbal jabs. The table was set with a basket of biscuits next to a large bowel of sausage gravy, courtesy of Emily. It was joined by a plate heaped with bacon, a tray of pancakes, accompanied by syrup and butter, the leftover sausage that had not been used in the gravy, a bowl of fresh fruit, a bowl of scrambled eggs, and yet another bowl, this one filled with potato hash. A jug of milk and a large carton of orange juice had been set out as well. Plates were distributed and the food was divided. Amber soon found out that if she wanted something specific, Hajime was more than willing to get it for her, even if it meant threatening Heisuke with the butter knife. Jade simply waited until a bowl or plate of food was passed her way before partaking in the food. Shinipachi took to purposefully reaching for the same thing that Emily was at the same time, irritating her to no end and leading to her attempting to stab his hand with her spoon when he attempted to take the fruit from her. Harada mildly reprimanded his friend for attempting to take a woman's food. The muscular man then resigned himself to stealing from Heisuke, even though there was plenty to go around.

Kondou and Nemu returned at that point. The former Shinsengumi commander smiled broadly at the obvious high spirits that his men were in. Nemu, who's expression had been grave, softened slightly in response. The two took their seats at the table and served themselves.

Souji's eyes lingered on his father figure, observing his expression and body language.

"Has something been decided, Kondou-san?"

The table went quiet.

Kondou blinked. Then he laughed somewhat sheepishly.

"Yare, I can never get anything past you, Souji," he folded his hands in his lap, "Yes, Miakage-san and I have finished exchanging information and have come to a consensus," his kind eyes were slightly troubled as he looked around the table at each of them in turn, "Based on our combined findings, it is obvious that the enemy is on the move. Miakage-san has been keeping an eye on the Oni underworld for some time now and it seems that both Kazama and her brother are stirring. Kazama will no doubt return to plague us again."

This drew scowls from around the table. Jade, Amber, and Emily struggled to keep up, not quite sure who 'the enemy' was. Kondou continued.

"As for the Miakage clan, it appears that over the years they have amassed a sort of crime syndicate. Their head, Miakage-san's brother, has received word of the three young ladies' reappearance."

Nemu cut in.

"And he seeks to finish what he meant to do so long ago."

Amber felt a cold sense of dread settle over her. An icy claw encircled her heart and she found it hard to breath. Someone wanted to kill her. I was the most terrifying feeling she had ever experienced. She must have given some outward sign of fear, because Hajime reached over and wrapped twined his slender fingers with hers, squeezing her hand softly. Emily's face cleared of all expression and her eyes hardened even as Sano glanced at her, his brow furrowed in worry. Jade clenched her hands on her knees and sat stiffly, looking at her half empty plate of food. Souji's eyes never drifted away from the two speakers as he draped an arm around her shoulders protectively. His lips curved in a humorless smirk, his green eyes cold and clear.

Heisuke scowled, his arms crossed over his chest.

"We would never let him do that!"

Kondou nodded.

"Exactly. Which is why Miakage-san and I have discussed a plan. It is likely that Kazama will join forces with this crime syndicate, at least as long as their goals coincide. This places both of our enemies together. Toshi, Sannan, Yukimura-san, and I will continue working from our base of operations on the other side of town to track their movements. The rest of you will remain here, in case our enemy attempts to attack in force. Since their main targets reside here, it is a likely possibility."

Shinipachi snorted.

"Let 'em come. It's not like they can kill us, thanks to that curse."

Nemu looked at him keenly.

"Perhaps not, but they can kill Jade, Amber, and Emily. I have no idea what else my 'spell' did to them. It is highly possible that they have ceased aging, since each of them has reached the age that they were when I transported them. Or that they are only aging very slowly, like I do. This would suggest that my power was partially transported to them and was lying dormant until their bodies returned to their original point. So, while it would be more difficult for them to die, it is still very much possible."

Emily cleared her throat slightly.

"So, let me get this straight. The Oni mafia is after us, fully intending to kill us. When you sent us into the future, you also transferred some of your power to us, making it harder for us to die. The plan is that the Shinsengumi are going to live in our home and protect us while Kondou-san a few others will be staying elsewhere to track the mafia while we sit here and act as bait. Is that about right?"

Nemu shifted slightly.

"...Yes. If the Oni syndicate comes after you, I have not doubt that we could defeat them when fighting on our own terms."

Emily leaned back in her chair.

"Well, this'll be fun."

* * *

Kaito finished tying his hakama as the door closed behind him. He glanced at the guards on either side of the door. They were both lesser Oni, not belonging to a noble family, their bloodlines polluted by human genetics. His voice held no inflection as he addressed them.

"Take her back to her sisters after she dresses."

The guards bowed, murmuring confirmations.

Kaito's yellow eyes flicked away from them and he began to walk in an unhurried manner down the hallway. The halfblooded Oni woman he had lain with was entertaining. Indeed, she had warranted a place among his favorite concubines. However, what he refused to allow her or any of his harem to bear his children. He would not be the sire of some bastard child with mixed blood. No. What he truly needed was a pureblooded female to carry on the Miakage line.

He passed numerous doorways on his way through the monstrous mansion that acted as his home and the headquarters of his syndicate. It was formed mainly of lesser Oni who were desperate for a place within the Oni society despite their tainted heritage. Occasionally he was joined by a noble whose standing was not as high as his own. To those, he awarded places of command, trusting the purebloods to keep control of the lesser Oni. He smirked slightly. How easy to control they all were.

As he rounded a corner, his smirk faded.

There was one who would not be controlled. Chikage Kazama. He had a higher social standing than Kaito, and, by all rights, was able to usurp his power and authority. Fortunately, Kazama had no interest in doing so. He only wished to use the syndicate's extensive resources to locate his lost bride, who had recently reawakened along with her human lover. Once she was found, Kazama planned to kill the lover, and finally take her as his own. Kaito, however, had different plans. He would allow Kazama to face the Shinsengumi's former second-in-command. While the battle was being waged however, he would take the Yukimura clan's princess. If that failed, he would take his sister, Nemu, instead. It was not uncommon for Oni nobles to inbreed in order to keep their lines pure. While he despised his sister, he would have no qualms about forcing her to bear his heir. It would be a suitable punishment for thwarting his killing of her human charges, he thought.

He mentally shrugged. Either way, his line would continue. Not only that, but, if his plan went accordingly, the human girls would be killed, leaving Nemu alone and without friendship. Finally, after over a century, he would accomplish what he had set out to do.


End file.
